Baghdad, April 25 (RHC)-- At least eleven people have been killed after a bomb blast hit a police checkpoint south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The incident took place on Thursday, when an explosive-laden car drove into the checkpoint at one of the entrances of the southern city of Hillah.

A police official said some 27 people were also wounded in the attack and that the dead included four policemen. Some 15 cars were also damaged from the huge blast.

On Wednesday, militants opened fire against Diyala provincial councilor Ahmed al-Harbi's two-vehicle convoy in Muqdadiyah, northeast of the capital Baghdad, killing him and two of his guards. Meanwhile on the same day, seven people were killed and 13 others injured in a car bomb explosion in the village of Bayukh north of the city of Mosul.

The attacks came as the country is heading toward an important election on April 30th. The vote is Iraq's first parliamentary election since U.S. forces nominally withdrew in 2011 and is a major test for security forces. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping to win a third term.