A suicide bomber killed at least six people and wounded 46 on Tuesday when he blew up his vehicle at a checkpoint in northern Iraq. Spokesman of the interior ministry said the bomber struck at the Al-Kalah checkpoint in the town of Tal Afar in Nineveh province which has been the scene of major operation against Al-Qaeda since May 14.

"Six Iraqis were killed, among them several security personnel," Khalaf said, adding that of the 46 wounded, at least 10 were in critical condition.

There was no immediate comment from the US military.

The blast came as Iraqi security forces kept up a major crackdown on Al-Qaeda across Nineveh province, particularly the provincial capital Mosul, Iraq's third city.

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