A suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden truck filled with sand struck a police station north of Baghdad on Saturday, the latest in a week of bombings that have killed nearly 80 people. The truck was allowed through the main gate of the complex in Beiji, the site of Iraq's largest refinery, after the driver told the guards he was delivering the sand to a construction site inside. The driver detonated his payload when two policemen approached him as he tried to enter a parking lot, police said. Police and witnesses said the bomber made it through the main gate by hiding his explosives under sand. He was stopped when he tried to drive his truck into a parking lot behind the police station. Guards had become suspicious that he was trying to enter an area that was not under construction.
The blast, which damaged nearby homes and sent shards of glass flying through the air, killed eight people and wounded 16, police said. It occurred in a neighborhood that is home to many refinery workers and engineers, but apparently was targeting the station. A police official said the seven killed included five policemen and two civilians.
"This attack will not deter us and the bombings will not frighten us because we are serving our country and protecting our citizens," said Col. Hazim Jamil of the Beiji police force.
"The truck exploded when the two policeman approached to try to ask the driver questions. After the explosion, we rushed to hide behind trees in order to avoid flying pieces of debris," said Qadouri Mohammed, who was collecting trash near the site of the blast.
Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, houses northern Iraq's largest oil refinery, and serves as a key transfer point for crude oil being exported out of Iraq.