Islamic State militants have attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.
The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead.
Sunday's attack, 500km south of Mosul, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said.
The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two militants inside.
In a statement distributed online by supporters, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Najaf attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb.
Since the US-backed offensive in Mosul began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday following weeks of deadlock has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas despite fierce resistance.
The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts.
A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam.
"For the fourth day in a row, federal police units supported by the army are on the offensive," he told Reuters at a forward base in Intisar.
The militants in Mosul have embedded themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties.
