BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide car bomber set off his explosive-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint Sunday in southern Iraq, the deadliest of a series of attacks that killed 42 people, officials said. The violence, which comes a few weeks before scheduled elections, is the latest by insurgents bent on destabilizing the country.

The blast struck the entrance of the city of Hillah during morning rush hour as dozens of cars waited to be searched. The explosion killed 21 civilians, including a woman and 12 year old, and 15 security personnel, two police officers said. It wounded at least 115, they said.