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A series of bombings has rocked Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous province of Kurdistan, killing six members of the security services, the BBC reported.

Irbil is in a stable part of Iraq and the region has not witnessed such attacks in the past six years.

A central government spokesman said the violence could be linked to fighting between jihadists and Kurd in Syria.

Meanwhile, at least 25 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a Shia Muslim mosque south of Baghdad.

The blast is reported to have brought down the roof of the mosque in Mussayab, and bodies are feared to be trapped in the debris.

The attack took place as a funeral was under way for a man killed by militants a day earlier, said Reuters news agency.

Sectarian violence has surged across Iraq in recent months, reaching its highest level since 2008.

Both Sunni and Shia places of worship have been targeted in recent months.

At least 36 people were reported wounded in Sunday's bombings in Irbil, which targeted the security forces HQ and the interior ministry.

Reports described a car bomber who rammed a checkpoint leading to a complex housing the interior ministry and a number of security agencies.

A short while later - as emergency services arrived - another bomber struck driving an explosive-rigged ambulance, and gunmen on foot also attacked.

TV images showed black smoke rising high above the city and emergency vehicles racing to the scene, which was sealed off by security services.

A statement reportedly published on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) website cited witnesses as saying five would-be suicide bombers had been killed before they were able to blow themselves up. Other official reports suggested four militants had been killed.