Car bombs in Baghdad and northern Iraq on Wednesday killed six people, including three security force members, and wounded at least 10, security and medical officials said.

The blast in the capital struck at around 7:30 am (0430 GMT) in the eastern Ameen neighbourhood, killing three people and wounding at least nine, an interior ministry official and medical officials said.

Another car bomb in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, 175 kilometres (110 miles) north of Baghdad, detonated at around 8:30 am (0530 GMT) as a joint military-police patrol was passing.

Three security force members -- an army lieutenant colonel, a policeman and a soldier -- were killed, and one soldier was wounded, according to Lieutenant Colonel Jassim al-Bayati of Tuz police and Dr Hidayet Mustafa at Tuz hospital.

In Diyala province north of the capital, gunmen attacked a checkpoint east of the provincial capital Baquba late on Tuesday, killing a member of the Sahwa anti-Qaeda militia and wounding two others, a police lieutenant colonel said.

The Sahwa are made up of Sunni Arab tribesmen and former insurgents who joined forces with the US military against Al-Qaeda from late 2006, helping to turn the tide against the insurgency.

Violence in Iraq is down from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common, killing 151 people in January.