Suicide car bomber targets US-allied fighters north of Baghdad

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A suicide car bomber targeted US-allied fighters north of Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least eight people and wounding 20, Iraqi security officials said. Police and members of an anti-al-Qaida group opened fire as the attacker sped toward a joint checkpoint, but he managed to detonate his explosives near some stores about 20 meters (yards) away. The attack occurred about 6 p.m. near Balad 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, according to a police officer in the Salahuddin provincial coordination center. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, said eight civilians were killed and 20 wounded.