A shooting and bombing against an Iraqi army checkpoint north of Baghdad killed 11 soldiers and wounded eight others, an army officer and a medical official said on Sunday.

Gunmen opened fire on the checkpoint near Balad shortly before midnight on Saturday, followed by a roadside bomb that exploded when other soldiers arrived at the scene, an army colonel said.

The attack killed 11 soldiers, including two officers, and wounded eight others, the colonel and the medical source at Balad hospital said.

Violence in Iraq is down significantly from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks, which frequently target Iraqi security forces, remain common.

In August, 278 people were killed in attacks, according to an AFP tally based on security and medical officials.