Suicide car bomb kills 11 Iraqis in Ramadi
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-25 17:04

A suicide bomber blew up his car at a checkpoint in Ramadi on Thursday, killing 11 Iraqi special police commandos and wounding nine police, two U.S. soldiers and three civilians, the U.S. military said on Friday.

The U.S. 2nd Marine Division said the bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint in the east of the city, 110 km (68 miles) west of Baghdad, at around 7 p.m. (1600 GMT).

Checkpoints were established at entrances to Ramadi last month to try to crack down on guerrillas who have mounted frequent attacks in the city.

"These terrorist attacks will not deter the soldiers and Marines from accomplishing their mission," said Brig. Gen. Joe McMenamin, assistant commander of the 2nd Marine Division.

"This was an attack on Iraqi security forces who have sworn an oath to protect the citizens of Iraq," he said.

Over the past few months, suicide car bombers have increasingly targeted checkpoints manned by U.S. and Iraqi forces. U.S. commanders say this shows insurgents are finding it harder to attack targets such as police stations and military bases.

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