Security officials say at least 27 Iraqis were killed Thursday in a string of gun and bomb attacks across the country.
The deadliest attacks occurred in Baghdad, where at least 17 people were killed and more than 60 others wounded in several bomb blasts including one near a sports stadium, al-Sha'ab.
In Mosul, in northern Iraq, a suicide bomber blew up his car outside the local headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic party. The number of casualties is unclear.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military says four more American soldiers were killed in roadside blasts in the Iraqi capital. The military also announced that a Marine died in combat in Anbar province. December has been one of the deadliest months for the U.S. military in Iraq this year, with at least 100 killed.
The military also says Iraqi special forces backed by American advisors captured an al-Qaida insurgent believed to have been involved in the kidnapping and murder of two U.S. soldiers in June. It said the man was captured in a raid in the Yusifiya region, south of Baghdad, Tuesday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.