Suicide bomber blows himself up at checkpoint

A suicide bomber driving an oil truck blew himself up after he was stopped at a checkpoint near an Iraqi army headquarters north of Baghdad today, wounding nine soldiers.

The attacker apparently planned to drive the truck into the compound in Muqdadiyah, but guards stopped him at the checkpoint about 100 metres away at about 9.15am local time.

He detonated his explosives belt as he got out of the vehicle, causing it to explode as well, army Col. Ibrahim Hussein said. Nine soldiers were wounded.

The blast came just over a month after a suicide bomber struck a police station in Muqdadiyah, 55 miles north of Baghdad, killing seven officers.

Iraqi security forces have been frequent targets of insurgent attacks as they are seen as collaborators with US-led forces.