A suicide bomber driving a fuel tanker struck an Iraqi army checkpoint on the entrance of a military base northeast of Baghdad on Wednesday, wounding nine soldiers, local provincial police said.

"A suicide bomber in a fuel tanker rammed the checkpoint of an Iraqi army base in Maqdadiyah, some 90 km northeast of Baghdad, wounding nine soldiers," said a police source from the media office of Diyala province, where the town located.

The attacker apparently tried to drive his tanker in the compound of the base, but the guards manning the checkpoint stopped him, prompting him to detonate his explosive laden tanker prematurely, the source added.

The war-wracked Iraq is still stuck in a turbulent state, despite the government's announcement to crack down on illegal militia and the decision of 21,000 U.S. troop surge there.

On Tuesday, a series of attacks targeted Shiite pilgrims performing rituals of Ashura, Shiite Muslims' holy holiday, killing a total of at least 31 people and wounding over 100 others.

Source: Xinhua