Three Iraqis killed in Baghdad suicide blast

A suicide car bomber targeted an Iraqi police patrol near the heavily-fortified Green Zone today, killing two civilians and a policeman. Six Iraqis were wounded, including five more policemen.

The blast happened at about 10.10am local time near a checkpoint into the Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government and the US Embassy. Another explosion was heard about 20 minutes later, but its source or location were not immediately known.

Lt. Thair Mahmoud said the suicide bomber caused the first blast by detonating an explosives-packed vehicle as a police patrol passed near the Iranian Embassy, which is close to the checkpoint that has become known as Assassins Gate for the multiple attacks carried out there.

The large explosion sent a thick black plume of smoke rising into the sky and bursts of automatic weapon fire were heard immediately after.

The site of the blast has been targeted numerous times in the past by insurgents opposed to the US-led occupation and the American-backed Iraqi government.