Suicide car bomber kills 2 at Baghdad checkpoint
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-23 16:20

A suicide car bomber attacked a security checkpoint in central Baghdad on Monday, killing at least two people and wounding six others close to the Green Zone government compound, police said.

Police said the wounded included three civilians and three policemen. Witnesses told al-Iraqiya state television that three people had been killed.

Reuters reporters in the area heard two more blasts a few minutes afterwards. Police said a roadside bomb had exploded in the al-Waziriya area but they had no information on casualties.

The suicide bombing took place near the Iranian embassy but a spokeswoman said the mission was not damaged.

Television pictures showed a burnt-out police vehicle still smouldering and the twisted, blackened wreckage of the bomber's car. A foot lay among the blast debris scattered in the street.

The area has seen numerous attacks in the past. Officials have warned of a possible upsurge in attacks by Sunni Arab insurgents after Friday's publication of results of last month's election, which showed continued dominance by Shi'ite Islamists.