BAGHDAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi police station at the town of Qaim near the border with Syria on Thursday, killing seven people and wounding at least eight others, an Interior Ministry source said.

    The bomber drove his explosive-laden car into the Qaim police station and blew it up at the main gate, the source said on condition of anonymity.

    Women and children were among the victims and the blast also damaged several nearby houses, the source said.

    Sporadic attacks continue in Iraqi cities despite the U.S. and Iraqi officials announced a relative lull in violence during the past months.