Relatives discovered the body of a kidnapped Iraqi policeman, but it was rigged with explosives and blew up, killing his father and brother, police and a doctor say.
The policeman was kidnapped on Wednesday in a village near Sharqat, northwest of Baghdad, the previous day. The blast on Thursday also wounded a second brother.
Militants in Iraq generally carry out car bombings or bury devices in or near roads, but more rarely rig bodies and even animals such as donkeys with explosives for use in attacks.
Elsewhere on Thursday, a car bomb exploded in northern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding at least eight, officials said.
The violence comes as officials tally votes from Iraq's April 30 elections, amid a protracted surge in bloodshed that the government has blamed on external factors such as the civil war in neighbouring Syria.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
But analysts and diplomats say widespread anger in the minority Sunni Arab community over alleged mistreatment at the hands of the Shi'ite-led authorities has played a major role in the violence.
More than 3100 people have been killed already this year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.
The unrest is the worst since Iraq emerged from brutal Sunni-Shi'ite sectarian fighting that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people.
