Car bombing in Iraq's Hilla kills 8, wounds 25

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb attack killed eight people and wounded 25 in the Iraqi city of Hilla on Monday, police said.

They said the attack took place outside the governor's office in the centre of the largely Shi'ite city, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad.

One witness said the car blew up at the fence of the governor's compound. Another said the bomber blew up his vehicle at a checkpoint outside.

Officials blame most car bomb attacks in Iraq on Sunni Islamist al Qaeda.

Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are taking part in simultaneous offensives in beltways and provinces around Baghdad to deny al Qaeda militants sanctuary in farmlands and towns from where they launch car bomb attacks and other violence.