Bomb in Iraqi police station kills 6, wounds 12

Hilla (Iraq), Oct 13: A bomb planted inside a police station in the Iraqi city of Hilla today killed six people, including the commander of a local special police force, police said.

The blast, which wounded 12 policemen, punched a hole in the building's ceiling in central Hilla, south of Baghdad. Police Colonel Salam al-Mamoury, who headed the anti-insurgent Scorpion police force, was among the dead, police said.

Insurgents battling the U S-backed government in Baghdad frequently attack Iraq's security forces. Building Iraq's fledgling police and army forces is a key element of Washington's plans for an eventual withdrawal of its troops.

Hilla, 100 km south of the capital, is a mainly Shi'ite city with many Sunni Arabs living in surrounding areas. It has previously been hit by big suicide bombings.

Reuters