A suicide truck bomb killed at least 11 people in western Iraq on Friday, and in Baghdad a roadside bomb set ablaze a US Abrams tank, a symbol of American military might.
The truck struck a checkpoint manned by US soldiers and Iraqi forces in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja, killing at least 11 people, including five police officers, police said. There was no immediate word from the US military. Two policemen were killed and three wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in the northern town of Tikrit.
Abrams tank was set ablaze when a roadside bomb exploded in eastern Baghdad, the US military said. The tank crew was not injured in the attack.
The American ambassador to Iraq pressed the country's divided leaders to end a political deadlock that has stalled the formation of a grand coalition Washington sees as its best hope for a troop withdrawal.