10 Iraqi Policemen Killed in Samarra Suicide Car Bomb

A car bomb detonated by a suicide attacker in the central Iraqi city of Samarra killed 10 policemen and wounded 16 others on Monday morning, police said.

The bomber rammed his explosives-packed vehicle into a compound for an emergency response unit which had been moved to the city to help with security for Shiite mourning rituals earlier this month, a police officer said.

Monday's attack comes after a suicide bomber detonated explosives inside a bus filled with Shiite pilgrims near Samarra on February 12, killing 33 and wounding 28.

Samarra has a Sunni Arab majority but houses a major Shiite pilgrimage center -- the gold-domed shrine of ninth century imam Hassan al-Askari.

Tens of thousands of people died in violence sparked by the destruction of the Askari shrine's gold dome by suspected Sunni extremists loyal to al-Qaida five years ago.

The mosque itself was built in 944, and the golden dome was added in 1905.