Nine Iraqi cops killed in suicide blast

SAMARRA: Nine Iraqi police officers were killed and 30 people wounded on Monday when a suicide bomber ploughed an eight-tonne truck packed with explosives into a police station in the city of Samarra.         

Witnesses and police said an orange-painted truck careered through the centre of the city and rammed barricades outside the regional headquarters of the Interior Ministry Task Force, a special security unit.        

The officer said that 13 of those wounded were police commandos and 17 were civilian staff and bystanders. Some of the injured are in a critical condition, he added.         

US forces reportedly sealed off the area following the blast and helped to remove bodies from the severely damaged building.              

The attack in Samarra, which lies about 125 kilometres (70 miles) north of Baghdad, came as Iraqi security forces pursue a beefed-up campaign against extremists in northern Iraq.   

Iraqi troops have arrested scores of suspects in recent days, including some members of groups linked to the Al-Qaeda network.