BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Iraqi civilians to work on Wednesday, then planted a bomb aboard the vehicle that exploded when rescue workers arrived, an official said. In all, 11 Iraqis were killed and six wounded.

An Iraqi soldier inspects the blindfolds on some of 16 suspected insurgents who are detained by Iraqi military near Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Tuesday, May 9, 2006. Large quantities of ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mortar shells were recovered in a joint US-Iraqi Army operation in Baqouba on Tuesday, police said. [AP]

Elsewhere, seven Iraqis were killed in other attacks, including four off-duty policemen in Ramadi, officials said Wednesday.

The violence followed a suicide truck bomb attack in a crowded market in Tal Afar late Tuesday, which killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 130 in a city cited by

President Bush as a success story in battling insurgents.

Meanwhile, leaders of Sunni-Arab, Shiite and Kurdish tribes were holding a conference in Baghdad to discuss ways of promoting unity in Iraq and reducing sectarian violence. U.N. envoy Ashraf Qazi was invited but was out of the country.

Legislators also met in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone to discuss procedural issues such as the formation of parliamentary committees.

Incoming Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Tuesday that he had almost finished assembling a Cabinet, the final step in establishing a national unity government. U.S. officials had predicted insurgents would step up attacks to try to block the new administration.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said al-Maliki would soon launch a four-part plan to restore order by securing Baghdad, Basra and eight other cities, promoting reconciliation, building public confidence in the police, and army and disbanding sectarian militias.

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