Car bomb near Baghdad courthouse kills 5, wounds 10

BAGHDAD, May 8 (Reuters) A car bomb went off near a main courthouse in western Baghdad today, killing at least five people and wounding 10, an Interior Ministry source said.

Last week, a roadside bomb killed at least nine people and wounded 46 near a courthouse in eastern Baghdad.

The courthouse targeted today is responsible for most cases in the capital's Karkh sector, where there are many insurgent strongholds. Last month, gunmen killed a senior judge who was the head of the Karkh courthouse.

Iraqi courts have passed a string of sentences, including death penalties and life in prison, in recent months against insurgents fighting the US-backed government.

Sunni Arab insurgents are waging a violent campaign of suicide bombings, shootings and assassinations in a bid to topple Iraq's Shi'ite-led government and drive out US troops.

The bombing comes as Iraqi political leaders are seeking a deal to form a national unity government.

REUTERS DKS PM1732