Three bombs planted on motorcycles went off in quick succession near a market and police station in central Iraqi town Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens more, officials said.

The blasts in Balad, located some 80 kilometers (50) miles north of Baghdad, were the latest in a wave of bombings and shootings has made June one of the deadliest months in Iraq since the last U.S. troops pulled out of the country in December.

Police said the bombs, which were hidden on motorbikes and went off within minutes of each other, also wounded at least 38 people.

"We were expecting this, because the terrorists want to ignite sedition among the Iraqi people," said Shiite cleric Murtada Faraj, 49, who was at Balad hospital caring for his three wounded nephews. Faraj said he had been about to leave the market when the explosions hit.

"Our town is Shiite, but it is surrounded by areas controlled by terrorists," he said.