A suicide bomber on Sunday rammed his explosives-laden fuel truck into a security checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing at least 47 people and wounding dozens, officials said, the latest episode in an uptick in violence in the war-ravaged country.<br />Among the dead were 24 civilians, while the rest were members of the security forces.<br />The attacker struck shortly after noon when the checkpoint at one of the entrances to the city of Hillah was crowded with dozens of cars, a police officer said.<br />He added that up to 55 other people were wounded and more than 20 cars were damaged.<br />Hillah is located about 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad.
