Baghdad, Nov 8 (DPA) Nine civilians were killed and many injured Saturday in violent attacks in Iraq.Eight people were killed and 22 injured in twin blasts in al-Ramadi city.

The attacks took place as two suicide bombers blew themselves up near a police station in the capital of al-Anbar province, about 110 km west of Baghdad, the al-Buratha news agency reported.

Earlier, one person was killed and seven were injured in a bomb blast in northern Baghdad, the police said.

In a separate incident, a prominent Al Qaeda leader was killed north of the Iraqi capital in an operation by Iraqi forces, Sahwa fighters and coalition forces, a US army statement said Saturday.

The statement said that Abu Ghazwan was killed Thursday in the Tarmiyah area and described him as “a key link in the network operations for the Al Qaeda in Iraq”.

In political developments, the Iraqi Presidential Board Saturday ratified Article 50 of the law on provincial council elections, concerned with the controversial issue of representation of minorities in local councils.

“Today, the Presidential Board ratified Article 50 of the provincial council elections law, which was approved by the parliament last week,” the head of the presidential office, Naseer al-Aani, told Voices of Iraq news agency.

On Monday, the Iraqi parliament approved a legislation that guarantees six seats for the country’s minorities in provincial councils in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra.

The move sparked heated protests from several political groups representing the country’s minorities who had been demanding greater representation.