Female suicide bomber kills 15 in Iraq
Saturday, 8 December 2007
BAGHDAD, Dec 07 (AP): A female suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt Friday outside the offices of an anti-al-Qaeda group that has joined forces with the US, killing at least 15 people, police said. It was Iraq's second suicide attack involving a woman in less than two weeks.
Ten of those killed in the attack in the Diyala province city of Muqdadiyah were members of the anti-al-Qaeda group who have partnered with US and Iraqi forces to rid their neighbourhood of militants, said Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Tamimi, the city police chief.
Al-Tamimi said at least 20 people were injured.
Another police official said the suicide bomber was a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was were not authorized to release details of the attack.
The explosion went off about 9:30 am on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah, which is about 60 miles north of Baghdad, on a road leading to the town market, al-Tamimi said.
Violence is down nationwide in Iraq, but has increased in the north, where al-Qaeda militants and other extremists are believed to have fled a US-led security crackdown that began in mid-February in Baghdad.
Ten of those killed in the attack in the Diyala province city of Muqdadiyah were members of the anti-al-Qaeda group who have partnered with US and Iraqi forces to rid their neighbourhood of militants, said Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Tamimi, the city police chief.
Al-Tamimi said at least 20 people were injured.
Another police official said the suicide bomber was a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was were not authorized to release details of the attack.
The explosion went off about 9:30 am on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah, which is about 60 miles north of Baghdad, on a road leading to the town market, al-Tamimi said.
Violence is down nationwide in Iraq, but has increased in the north, where al-Qaeda militants and other extremists are believed to have fled a US-led security crackdown that began in mid-February in Baghdad.