BAGHDAD (AFP) — Successive bombings targeting an alcohol shop on Baghdad’s western outskirts killed three policemen at the beginning of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a security official said on Wednesday.

An Iraqi policeman was also killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Wednesday, while an army officer and two members of an anti-Qaeda militia were killed in attacks the day before.

The blasts at the alcohol shop occurred late on Tuesday in the suburb of Rasala and also left 14 other people wounded, including three policemen, the interior ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At around 10:00 pm (1900 GMT), a roadside bomb initially detonated near the store, wounding nine people. When police arrived at the scene, another explosion took place.

The explosions come shortly after the beginning of Ramadan, during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until dusk. Ramadan began on Monday for Iraq’s Sunnis and a day later for the country’s majority Shiites.