Officials say a string of morning attacks that mostly appear to target police have killed at least 22 people across the Iraqi capital, AP reports.

The deadliest blast came in the Shiite neighborhood of Karradah during the morning rush hour. Police said nine people were killed and 24 wounded in the explosion that shook buildings and windows blocks away.

Officials at nearby Ibn al-Nafis and al-Rahibat hospitals confirmed the casualties. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

After Karradah, at least four more bombings were reported in the city. Earlier on Wednesday, police said gunmen with silenced pistols killed six policemen at a drive-by shooting at a security checkpoint in a Sunni area in northern Baghdad.