A bomb exploded near a mosque north of Baghdad on Friday, killing seven people

A bomb exploded near a mosque north of Baghdad on Friday, killing seven people, a police colonel and a doctor said, the latest in an uptick in violence in the run up to elections next week.
  
The bomber struck after prayers at the Omar bin Abdul Aziz mosque, south of Baquba, and also wounded another 25 people the sources said.

Attacks on candidates have left at least a dozen election hopefuls dead, according to an AFP tally.   Iraq is to hold provincial elections on April 20, its first polls since 2010.
  
271 Iraqis were killed in spate of attacks last month, the highest monthly figure since August, according to an AFP tally.