Iraqi bomber kills six, hurts 22 in Kirkuk

BAGHDAD, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber targeting a senior police official in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Thursday killed six people and injured 22 others, officials said.

City police chief Brig. Burhan Wasif told the Xinhua news agency in Baghdad by telephone two of the dead were policemen serving as bodyguards.

"A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the convoy of Brig. Khattab Omer while he heading to his work at about 7:30 a.m.," Wasif said.

There were conflicting reports about Omer's condition, with some saying he was critically injured and others saying he received minor injuries.

In Baghdad, the U.S. military released a statement saying two of its soldiers had been killed in separate incidents Wednesday, Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported.

Both incidents happened in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, The first was a bombing that killed one soldier and wounded four others. Hours later, a second bomb killed another soldier and wounded five others, the report said.

Since the March 2003 U.S. invasion, 3,865 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq.