Two people were killed and four others wounded Thursday when a car bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol in central Baghdad, a well-informed Interior Ministry source said.

The blast took place at about 10:15 a.m. (0715 GMT) near the Fine Arts Collage in Bab al-Mu'azam area, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Two civilians were killed in the attack and two others wounded along with damaging an army vehicle, wounding two soldiers aboard, he added.

In separate incident, gunmen opened fire at a Pick up truck in Sa'doun Street in central Baghdad, killing Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Hana, an Interior Ministry officer, along with wounding his driver, the source said.

Insurgents in Iraq frequently attack Iraqi security forces with machine-guns, car bombings and roadside bombs in busy areas, causing the killing of dozens of civilians collaterally.

Source: Xinhua