The spokesman for Salahuddin province, Ali al-Hamdani, said the suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car during rush hour on Sunday morning into the main checkpoint at the southern entrance of the provincial capital, Tikrit. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, condemned the two attacks, which he said had killed 21 people, including 10 Iranian pilgrims, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. They have deployed waves of suicide car bombs, as well as mortar attacks, roadside bombs and sniper fire against the advancing troops, and officers say they have also left behind fighters among residents of districts taken over by the army.
Suicide bombers strike in the cities of Tikrit and Samarra in Iraq, killing at least 21.