By Xinhua,
Tikrit, Iraq : A car bomb explosion killed seven policemen and wounded three others near the town of Dhuluiyah in Salahudin province north of Baghdad on Sunday, a local police source said.
The blast took place at about 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) in the village of Mis’adah when a booby-trapped car approached a police patrol outside the village, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
After the patrol reported the suspected car to their base, the patrol members were ordered to open fire at the car from a distance, but unfortunately it was too late, the source said.
Seven policemen were killed, including two officers, and three policemen were injured in the blast, the source added.
The Sunni Arab town of Dhuluiyah, some 90 km north of Baghdad, has witnessed increasing tensions between villagers backed by Iraqi security forces and al-Qaida militants who claim the area part of their self-styled Islamic state in Iraq.