KIRKUK, Iraq - A suicide bomber aboard a small pick-up truck slammed into an Iraqi police patrol in the tense northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing six people and injuring 14, police said.
The attack in the southern district of the oil rich city killed at least three policemen while three policemen were also among the injured, local police major Salam Zangana said.
"We have identified three police among the dead but we have not been able to identify the other bodies because they are too severely burned," he said.
Zangana added that a civilian later died from his wounds.
Kirkuk has been the frequent scene of deadly ethnic tension since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Despite the dramatic improvement in security across the country over the past two years, Iraq has seen a spike in attacks in recent weeks that have killed hundreds and wounded even more.
The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 is viewed by critics as an 'act of aggression' that violated international law.
Subsequent US occupation policies caused the country to descend into almost total chaos, bordering on civil war.
An estimated 1.3 million Iraqis have been killed in Iraq as a direct result of the invasion, while millions more have fled the country.
Critics argue that the recent stability announced in the country should not excuse the 'crime' of invading Iraq, calling for the prosecution of the war's architects for 'crimes against humanity'.
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