BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, leading an offensive against Al Qaeda in the north, last night offered cash and freedom from prosecution to fighters who give up their weapons within 10 days.

Maliki made the amnesty offer in the Mosul city, where he has been supervising a US-backed campaign aimed at delivering a fatal blow to Al Qaeda in the city and surrounding Nineveh province.

Many Al Qaeda gunmen have regrouped in Nineveh after being pushed out of Baghdad and other areas.

"We have decided to grant amnesty to those who joined the armed groups on condition they hand over heavy and medium weapons to the security forces," Maliki said.

Those who turned in arms would be paid a cash reward, Maliki said, without saying how much.

But in a condition that could limit the amnesty's reach, he said it only applied to "those who did not commit crimes against civilians or stain their hands with blood".

A suicide car bomber struck a police station in Falluja, western Iraq, killing four policemen and wounding nine people.

Police beat up a Reuters cameraman and a photographer when they tried to film the aftermath of the bombing. The photographer was admitted to a hospital.

Defence ministry spokesman said the amnesty would apply across Nineveh province which borders Turkey and Syria.

Maliki also met local Christian leaders in Mosul and urged them to send their young men to join the security forces.

A US soldier refused to serve in "illegal Iraq war". Matthis Chiroux joined the US army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant. He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines and was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.