A suspected suicide car bomb exploded outside a police station in the central Iraqi town of Baquba this morning, killing at least two passers-by and wounding 14 policeman, local police and doctors said.
A police officer at the scene said he saw a white car racing toward the police station seconds before it exploded. He said he believed it was a suicide car bomb attack.
"There were two civilians killed in the street and at least 14 people were injured, all of them police," said the policeman, who would not give his name or rank.
The bomber was also killed.
Doctors at a local hospital said that at least two people had died and said more than a dozen others had been brought in with injuries sustained in the blast.
Witnesses said the powerful explosion had thrown scores to the ground.
Baquba, about 65 km north of Baghdad, is a hotbed of anti-American insurgency that has grown increasingly restive in recent months. US forces carry out near daily raids in and around the town searching for guerrilla suspects.
As well as attacking US troops in the area, insurgents have also targeted police and others seen to be collaborating with the US occupation.
Twin car bomb attacks on police stations in Baquba and the nearby town of Khan Bani Saad in November killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 30.
A bomb strapped to a bicycle exploded outside a Shi'ite mosque in Baquba after Friday prayers last week, killing at least six people.
A car bomb at a nearby mosque was defused at around the same time.