Baghdad police station bombing kills eight

A suicide bomber in a taxi killed eight Iraqi officers in an attack on a police station in northern Baghdad today.

A suicide bomber in a taxi killed eight Iraqi officers in an attack on a police station in northern Baghdad today.

Lieutenant Colonel Ali Amer said 10 of his men were also injured in the blast in Husainiyah district. Residents said at least five civilians, including a five-year-old girl, were wounded by flying glass and debris.

Earlier, seven officers were wounded when another car bomb exploded in the western Ameriyah neighbourhood.

Later in the day, several large explosions reverberated in central Baghdad. The cause was not immediately clear.

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The attacks came less than a day after Saddam Hussein's capture was announced. US officials in Baghdad have warned that the capture could lead to an increase in insurgents' attacks against coalition troops and their Iraqi allies. A car bomb killed 17 people at a police station west of Baghdad yesterday.

The blast in Husainiyah occurred when a yellow Toyota Land Cruiser drove through the razor fence encircling the building, and was blown up next to the gate. Several houses and shops were damaged and at least three cars were burned.

The attack in Ameriyah occurred just after 8.00 a.m., when a suicide bomber drove his car into the gate of a police station there, the US army said. The vehicle detonated, killing the driver and injuring several policemen.

A second car then drove into the compound and was immediately engaged by gunfire from US soldiers and policemen. The driver abandoned the vehicle and ran into the building, where he was arrested.