Iraqi police say car bombs have killed at least 13 people south of Baghdad.
They say the two blasts late Wednesday in the town of Mashruh also wounded at least 27 people.
Meanwhile, four protesters were wounded in a clash with Iraqi police in Tikrit, hometown of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Some 1,000 people had been protesting the killing of a local official earlier Wednesday, and called on the provincial governor and police chief to step down.
Meanwhile, kidnappers of Egypt's top envoy to Iraq threatened to kill him because they say his country is allied with Jews and Christians.
Since the Egyptian diplomat was abducted in Baghdad Saturday, insurgents have attacked Bahrain's and Pakistan's envoys to Iraq in separate incidents. The Bahraini envoy was wounded, and the Pakistani diplomat escaped unharmed and was withdrawn from Iraq.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
