Wednesday, May 11 2005 13:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: At least 54 people were killed in a string of blasts in Iraq today (May 11, 2005) as US troops battled insurgents in the lawless western hinterland during a massive operation against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network.

At least four explosions went off within about an hour, in the deadliest day since a surge in violence that marked the formation of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's Government earlier this month.

A first car bomb ripped through a busy bus station in the northern city of Tikrit, killing 31 people and wounding 70, a police officer said.

A curfew was slapped on Tikrit following the blast, one of the deadliest witnessed in the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

A suicide bomber also struck an Army recruitment centre in the town of Hawijah, southwest of the northern oil city of Kirkuk, killing 20 people.

"A suicide bomber wearing a belt of explosives mingled with recruits outside the centre before blowing himself up," Kirkuk police chief General Turhan Yussef told agencies.

Insurgents also detonated two car bombs in Baghdad, one of which targeted a police station in the restive southern district of Dura, killing three people, an Interior Ministry official said.

Another car bomb went in a western neighbourhood of the capital but there no immediate casualty figures.

Car bombs have been the weapon of choice for insurgents who stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, killing close to 400 people since the start of the month.