Suicide bomber kills 12 north of Baghdad

A suicide bomber wearing a belt packed with explosives struck a recruiting station for neighbourhood patrols in Iraq’s restive Diyala province, killing 12 volunteers and wounding 10 on Thursday, police said.

Iraqi police said United States forces may have also been among the casualties in the strike that took place in the town of Kanaan, 20km south-east of Baquba, the capital of the province north of Baghdad.

They said the casualty toll could rise.

Mainly Sunni-Arab neighbourhood patrols have joined US forces to fight al-Qaeda militants, one of the tactics Washington says has led to a 60% decrease in attacks in Iraq since June.

But the patrols have increasingly been targeted by militants, especially in provinces north of Baghdad, where US commanders say al-Qaeda has regrouped after being pushed out of other parts of Iraq. - Reuters