Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A policeman was killed and 10 others were wounded in two bomb attacks in Baghdad and Hilla Citysouth of the capital on Sunday, police sources said.

    A roadside bomb went off on Sunday morning near a police patrol in Baghdad's northern district of Adhamiyah, killing a policeman and wounding seven others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Another roadside bomb detonated near a police commando patrol in Hilla City, some 100 km south of Baghdad, wounding three commando members, said a local police source.

    Separately, 12 unidentified bodies were found during the past 24 hours in different parts of Baghdad. Some of the bodies were bound, blindfolded and showing signs of torture, also according to a police source.

    Violence persists in Baghdad despite the presence of tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers across the capital in a major security crackdown aimed at curbing insurgency and sectarian violence in the war-torn country.