"I vow ... to be a suicide bomber who will defend Iraq," said one of the women, named as Nur al-Shammari, who could be seen raising a rifle in the air, with her other hand placed on a Koran, the Muslim holy book.

US Central Command (Centcom) said three coalition soldiers, a pregnant woman and her driver were killed in the explosion Thursday night at a checkpoint near Hadithah Dam, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

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