Suicide bomber kills 8, wounds 17 in Iraq mosque
Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:59 GMT
* Explosion occurred soon after evening prayers
* Diyala province remains volatile
(Updates toll, adds details)
BAGHDAD, April 28 (Reuters) -At least eight people were killed and 17 wounded on Thursday when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Iraq's Diyala province, security officials said.
Insurgents have stepped up attacks in recent months, seeking to undermine faith in Iraq's army and police who will take full responsibility for security when U.S. troops withdraw at the end of December, more than eight years after the U.S.-led invasion.
The explosion occurred shortly after evening prayers in Balad Ruz, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Muthana al-Timimi, head of Diyala provincial council's security committee, said.
"A criminal blew himself up inside the mosque, which resulted in this number of casualties," Timimi said.
"Some of the wounded are in a critical condition."
A source at Diyala's joint cooperation centre also put the toll at eight people killed and 17 wounded.
Bombings and attacks remain a daily occurrence in Iraq and while violence has dropped from the height of sectarian warfare in 2006-7, insurgents are still capable of carrying out lethal attacks.
Diyala is one of a few remaining provinces where large numbers of al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents still battle Iraqi security forces. A volatile mix of minority Kurds, majority Shi'ites and Sunnis has made it difficult to bring peace there.
Last month, at least eight soldiers were killed when a car bomb exploded at an Iraqi army unit in the town of Kanaan in Diyala. (Writing by Serena Chaudhry; editing by Tim Pearce)
Leave a comment:
IMPORTANT: Your comment will not appear immediately as we vet all messages before publication. We don't publish comments that are racist or otherwise offensive. Nor do we publish comments that advertise products or services. Please keep your comment concise and do not write in capitals.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment