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A series of car bombs on Saturday ripped through a crowded marketplace and a Shiite militia's checkpoint, killing a total of 19 people in separate attacks north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, officials said, as the country's prime minister vowed to punish those who smashed ancient artifacts in a northern city, The Associated Press reported. 

Police said the first attack took place Saturday morning when a car bomb exploded near a busy market in the town of Balad Ruz. Minutes later, a second car bomb went off, targeting people who gathered to inspect the site of the first blast.

Balad Ruz is 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Baghdad.

Police and hospital officials said 11 people were killed and 50 wounded.

Later on, a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into a checkpoint manned by Shiite militiamen who are fighting ISIS militants near the city of Samarra, killing eight Shiite fighters and wounding 15 others.

Police said clashes erupted between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants following the attack in areas around Samarra, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad. 

Nobody immediately claimed responsibly for the attacks.