Suicide bomber kills at least seven

A SUICIDE truck bomber attacked a police station in one of Iraq's major oil hubs in the north of the country yesterday, killing at least seven and injuring 13 in an area home to many refinery workers and engineers.

The attack in Beiji was at least the third deadly suicide attack in 24 hours in Iraq and came a day after a key oil pipeline in the city was struck by an insurgent bomb.

The bomber approached the police station in an explosives-laden truck about three miles north of the city centre, a police official said.

The official said five policemen and two civilians were killed in the blast, which damaged nearby homes and sent shards of glass flying through the air. "The windows of my house shattered and three of my family members were injured," said Jassim Salih, who lives nearby.

Another witness, Falih Salim, said he rushed toward the area after hearing the explosion and saw the bodies of two burned guards.

"The scene was so horrible that I ran away," Salim said.

Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, houses northern Iraq's largest oil refinery, and serves as a key transfer point for crude oil being exported out of Iraq.

The attack came the day after a woman suicide bomber blew herself up in Diyala, killing at least 15.