Thirty seven people were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed Humvee military vehicle into a construction site, used by the army and police.

Thirty seven people were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed Humvee military vehicle into a construction site, used by the army and police, according to two police officers and a medical official.

The blast killed 22 security personnel and 15 civilians, the medical and police sources said. The nine-storey building under construction, used as a base by security personnel, was located in the centre of Ramadi in western Anbar province.

Ramadi and Falluja cities have been plagued by fighting between the security forces and the extremist Islamic State and other armed groups since January.