A suicide bomb attack critically wounded a senior Iraqi police officer and killed two of his guards on Tuesday near the eastern city of Baquba, Reuters cited police as saying.

The blast came a day after bombers and suicide attackers killed at least 51 people, including 23 in two explosions in the nearby town of Muqdadiya.

Brigadier Qasim al-Anbuki, the local head of police intelligence, was leading a force to check tips about a suspected car bomb parked on a highway linking Baghdad to eastern Diyala province, where Baquba is located.

After reaching the site, a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle near the officer's convoy, two police sources said. Three other officers were also wounded, they added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Source: SPA