Militants carried out a series of suicide attacks on Friday against Shia mosques in northeastern Iraq killing at least 22 worshippers, including a senior police officer, officials said. In the town of Balad Ruz, a suicide car bomber attacked the al-Zahraa mosque as worshippers were leaving after the Friday sermon, a police officer said. A second suicide bomber on foot then attacked the crowds gathered in the aftermath. The twin attacks killed at least 18 and injured at least 41 people. Among the dead were the leader of the town’s police commandos, Col Adnan Mohammed al-Timimi, and two policemen, he added. Balad Ruz is located about 70 kilometers northeast of Baghdad. A third suicide bomber drove his car into worshippers as they were leaving the Imam Hussein Shiite mosque in the town of Kanaan, about 75 kilometres (47 miles) northeast of the capital, the police officer added. Four people were killed and at least 18 wounded.