BAGHDAD — Two bombs exploded near a checkpoint run by government-allied Sunni militiamen in western Iraq on Friday, killing at least 11 people in the latest strike by militants seeking to destabilize the country.
The twin blasts struck shortly before midday in the village of Zangoura, which is just south of the former insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, some 70 miles west of Baghdad, according to police.
The checkpoint was manned by members of the Sahwa, who are Sunni militiamen that joined forces with U.S. troops to fight al-Qaida during the Iraq War. They remain on the Shiite-led central government's payroll for security forces, making them an occasional target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors.
One bomb, apparently planted by the side of the road, was the source of the initial blast. A second explosion struck as villagers rushed to help the victims of the first blast, police said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but coordinated bombings and attacks on Sahwa members are frequently the work of al-Qaida in Iraq.
