BAGHDAD – A senior Iraqi police official says he has escaped an assassination attempt by a suicide car bomber in a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad.
Maj. Gen. Tariq Youssef says Saturday's blast occurred near his armored vehicle as it was leaving the university in the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi.
The provincial police chief tells The Associated Press he suffered bruises but no serious injuries.
The mainly Sunni province was long controlled by Al Qaeda in Iraq but has seen a decline in violence after local tribal leaders turned against the terror network.
The ability of militants to stage an attack so close to a senior official illustrates their resiliency despite major setbacks on the battlefield during the past two years.
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