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US troops error kills Iraq police 'Female bomber' kills six in Iraq
(about 1 hour later)
US troops have shot dead three Iraqi policemen by mistake in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk. A woman suicide bomber has killed six people at a bus station in Balad Ruz in Diyala province, Iraqi police say.
A US military statement described the incident as a tragic accident, which was sincerely regretted. A recent increase in attacks by female suicide bombers is partly due to the ease of concealing explosives under their clothing, correspondents say.
One of the dead was a policeman, a local officer said, and 12 more people were wounded including three policemen.
Elsewhere, US troops shot dead three Iraqi policemen by mistake near the northern city of Kirkuk.
If the attacker's identity is confirmed, it would be the eighth female perpetrator of a suicide bombing this year.
A US military statement described the incident in Kirkuk as a tragic accident, which was sincerely regretted.
The soldiers are thought to have opened fire after feeling threatened when the police drove at high speed into an area which had been cordoned off.The soldiers are thought to have opened fire after feeling threatened when the police drove at high speed into an area which had been cordoned off.
A number of Iraqi police patrols have been hit by roadside bombs and car bombs in recent weeks. US and Iraqi forces launched major security operation in Kirkuk in November last year targeting alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq militants.
US and Iraqi forces launched major security operation in the city of Kirkuk in November last year targeting alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq militants. No regrets
Three Iraqi policemen were killed and one was injured during the incident in Kirkuk province on Wednesday. The latest deaths come a day before the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, which has been battered by continuous violence since then.
The US military says initial reports suggest the Iraqi police were responding to an unrelated request for assistance and entered the cordoned area at high speed. President George W Bush is marking the date with a speech at the Pentagon in which he is expected to say he has no doubts about launching the war and toppling Saddam Hussein, despite the high cost in lives.
"Coalition forces make every effort to engage only hostile threats and we sincerely regret when a tragic accident like this occurs," military spokeswoman, Specialist Megan Burmeister told Reuters. Nearly 4,000 US military personnel have died in Iraq as have more than 170 from Britain.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, though there are no precise figures, and estimates vary widely.
Anti-war demonstrations are also expected in Washington.
Mr Bush is expected to warn against any retreat after recent improvements in security fuelled by the increase of 30,000 US troops in violence-hit areas.