The U.S. military says a suicide car bomb blast in the restive Iraqi city of Ramadi has killed 11 Iraqi police commandos.
Military officials say the explosion occurred late Thursday near a checkpoint in the eastern part of the city. They say nine Iraqi policemen, two U.S. soldiers and three civilians were wounded in the blast.
Checkpoints have been established at the entrances to Ramadi, west of Baghdad, in an effort to crack down on insurgents who have a strong presence there.
Meanwhile, Iraqi authorities say five women who worked at a U.S. military base in southeast Baghdad were killed Thursday when gunmen opened fire on their car.
Contractors, translators and other Iraqis suspected of working with U.S. forces are the frequent target of insurgents.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.