Car bomb kills five in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, May 23 (Reuters) A car bomb targeting Iraqi police commandos in Baghdad killed at least five people today, police said.

The blast, which killed civilians and police officers, also wounded five people, police said.

The bombing came as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought to fill the key interior and defence ministry posts to complete a new government which was announced on Saturday.

Earlier, gunmen in a car killed three men and wounded seven among a crowd of workers looking for day labouring jobs on farms north of Baghdad.

The attack at Aswad, near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, appeared to be sectarian in motivation. The labourers were mostly from nearby Huwaider, a Shi'ite Muslim town. Much of Aswad's population is Sunni.

Maliki has vowed to use maximum force to wipe out insurgents waging a campaign of suicide and car bombings, shootings and kidnappings aimed at toppling Iraq's U.S.-backed leaders.

REUTERS CH PM1337