A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives killed at least 12 people yesterday when he attacked a police station north of Baghdad, police said.

Police at the scene said they were caught off-guard by the bomber, who ignored the main gate to the station and instead rammed the poorly guarded entrance to an adjoining municipal building.

He then drove across open ground and smashed his vehicle into the police station, which is in the mainly Sunni town of Dour near Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad.

The explosion brought down one side of the building and police said the death toll could rise as they were still searching through the rubble. The dead included policemen and civilians. At least 25 people were wounded.

More than 3 000 Iraqi policemen have been killed in attacks mainly carried out by Sunni insurgents fighting the Shi'ite-led government of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki.