Fourteen people were killed in a suicide bombing northwest of Baghdad on Saturday. The bomber hit a checkpoint at 8:45 a.m. (0545 GMT) in the northern city of Tal Afar, 420 kilometers (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, said police Brig. Sabah al-Maamari. The explosion killed four soldiers and 10 civilians - some of whom died when parts of their homes nearby crumbled with the concussion from the blast, he said. Four soldiers and nine civilians were also wounded.