June 05, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 30, 1429

BAGHDAD, June 4: A suicide bomb rocked Baghdad on Wednesday, leaving scores of casualties, and US troops suffered their biggest single loss in a month, bringing to an end a relative lull in violence, officials said.

A powerful truck bomb in the capital targeted the home of a senior police officer coordinating security operations with the military in the capital of six million people.

Eleven people were killed, including the officer’s nephew. At least 43 others people were wounded, with three of them being relatives of the intended target, police said.

Police said the officer, whose name was not given, was not at home when the truck bomber struck.

Eight other homes in the Al-Shab neighbourhood were also destroyed by the powerful attack.

They said the huge attack came as another bombing of police in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, killed four policemen, including an officer.

Earlier in the day, three American soldiers were killed by small arms fire in Hawijah, near the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, the US military said.

The US deaths on Wednesday raised to 4,090 the number of American troops killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

Wednesday’s attack produced the highest single loss for American troops since four marines died in a mine attack on May 4.

Overall, US troops last month saw their lowest level of losses since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The number killed in May dropped to 19, with the previous low being in February 2004, when 20 died.—AFP