Baghdad, Oct 10: A suicide bomber killed himself and eight others, a Spanish diplomat was gunned down and a militiaman was reported killed by US troops in a surge of violence six months to the day after strongman Saddam Hussein was toppled. A few hours after the blast in Baghdad's Sadr city neighbourhood yesterday, the top US official in Iraq, Paul Bremer, described the ongoing violence as "bumps in the road," saying accomplishments of the US-led coalition "exceeded expectations."

Three Iraqi policemen, five civilians and the suicide bomber were killed in the massive explosion, a US military police spokesman said. A hospital official said another 38 people were wounded in the blast, which sent bodies flying onto the roof of the police station. One policeman said he found the bearded head of the attacker.

It was the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since 22 people were killed in the August 19 suicide bombing of the UN offices. Yesterday's attacker forced his way past a checkpoint outside the station and rammed a police vehicle. His car then blew up.

Later that night a firefight nearby between US troops and a Shiite Muslim militia left one Iraqi militant dead and wounded two others, according to members of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr's Mehdi Army.

Bureau Report