Officials say explosions in central Iraq have killed 18 people and wounded the governor of Anbar province. Police official Lt. Col. Imad al-Fahdawi says two bombs exploded Wednesday in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad. He says the governor was inspecting the damage from the first bomb when he was caught in the blast of the second. Dr. Ahmed Abid Mohammed confirmed the casualties and the injuries to the governor. There are 18 provincial governors in Iraq. Anbar is strategically important because it was a former stronghold of the al-Qaida linked insurgency before the U.S. military began paying fighters to participate in the pro-government Sons of Iraq program, also known as the Awakening Council.