Three dead in Iraq funeral attack

At least three Iraqi policemen have been killed by a roadside bomb while mourning the death of a colleague.

The bomb attack came on Saturday in the northern city of Kirkuk, during a funeral procession for a policeman gunned down the day before.

Police said up to seven other officers were wounded in the attack.

There was also an attack on a US military convoy in the city of Ramadi. It is not clear at this stage if anyone was killed.

Iraqi police said a suicide car bomber attacked the convoy on a road about 5km (three miles) north-west of Ramadi.

The city, 110km (70 miles) west of Baghdad, is frequently the scene of insurgent attacks on US and coalition targets.

Anniversary marked

The violence came on the eve of the second anniversary of the launching of the US-led war on Iraq, on 20 March, 2003.

US President George Bush defended the war on Saturday, saying it was launched "to disarm a brutal regime, free its people, and defend the world from a grave danger".

But anti-war protesters were marking the occasion too.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to march through London, demanding an end to the occupation of Iraq.

And thousands rallied in Tokyo during a visit by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.