BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi officials say a car bomb south of Baghdad has seriously wounded a local police chief.

Police officials say Lt. Col. Salman Kadhim was badly hurt when the bomb that was hidden in a parked car in the town of Jbala detonated on Saturday. Jbala is about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad.

Two of Kadhim's guards were also wounded in the explosion. A local health official confirmed the injuries.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Iraqi security forces have long been targeted by insurgents seeking to highlight instability in the Shiite-dominated government and its efforts to protect people from violence without U.S. help.

(This version CORRECTS time of bombing.)