Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Friday offered amnesty to Sunni Arab militants in the northern city of Mosul who turn in their weapons in exchange for unspecified financial compensation.

The offer came as government troops press an offensive in the city, which the U.S. military has called the last urban stronghold of militants loyal to al-Qaida in Iraq.

A statement issued by Maliki's office gave members of armed groups 10 days to hand over their heavy- and medium-grade weapons to Iraqi security forces or area tribal leaders.

"Gunmen who carried weapons against government forces but were not involved in crimes against civilians shall be granted amnesty and also the opportunity to participate in building the new Iraq," the statement said.

Maliki, who flew to Mosul on Wednesday to take charge of the operation, promised monetary compensation for any weapons surrendered but said details would be released later.

U.S. and Iraqi officials think insurgents driven out of Baghdad and Anbar province last year have regrouped around Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city and a gateway for fighters and weapons smuggled across the Syrian border. Attacks have increased there since the summer, even as violence dropped in the rest of the country.

In violence Friday, a suicide car bomber attacked a police station in Fallujah, killing eight other people and injuring nine, police and hospital officials said. It was the latest in a string of attacks in Anbar province, suggesting that Sunni militants may be trying to stage a comeback in their former stronghold.

A 6-month-old girl and four police officers were among the dead, police said.