Iraq suicide bomber kills police in Tuz Khurmatu Published duration 28 July 2013

A suicide bomber has killed eight Kurdish police in northern Iraq after targeting a convoy, officials say.

The attack took place in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, about 70km (45 miles) south of Kirkuk, and also wounded nine officers, district official Shahal Abdul told news agency AFP.

The town is in an area that is a source of dispute between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish minority.

This year has been one of the deadliest across Iraq, with thousands killed.

Although violence has decreased across the country since the peak of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007, bombings are still common.

More than 700 people have been killed in July alone.

Disputed region

The suicide bomber blew up his car in Tuz Khurmatu close to a three-vehicle police convoy, officials said.

Tuz Khurmatu is part of an area disputed between the government in Baghdad and ethnic Kurds, who inhabit a semi-autonomous region in the north and claim territory in four other nearby regions.

In January a suicide bomber killed at least 23 people in the town.

Last month, at least 10 people were killed after two suicide bombers targeted a protest camp near the town.