FALLUJAH, Iraq, June 24 (Xinhuanet) -- An overnight roadside bomb blast struck a US military patrol in Iraq's western city of Fallujah, destroying a US armored vehicle and causing several casualties, witnesses said on Friday.

    "The blast took place on late Thursday near the main US military checkpoint at the eastern entrance of the city, destroying a US Humvee, killing and wounding the US soldiers aboard," Ahmed Salih, a Fallujah resident told Xinhua.

    A US military statement on Friday confirmed the attack, without giving precise casualties and further details.

    Separately, a suicide bomber blew up his explosive-laden vehicle near the house of a tribal leader in the southern neighborhood of Fallujah on Thursday night, witnesses said.

    The suicide bomber was killed in the blast which caused no other casualties, they said, adding that Sheikh Khamis Hasnawi al-Eifan, chieftain of Albu Issa tribe, escaped the assassination attempt unharmed.

    Eifan and his family member refused to talk about the reasons behind the attack.

    Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad, has long been a stronghold of insurgents who have fought the US troops and Iraqi security forces.

    The city was largely reduced to rubble last November when the US Marines launched a month-long offensive to curb insurgency. Enditem