/ 17 August 2010

Suicide bomber strikes in Iraq

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a crowded Iraqi army recruitment centre in Baghdad on Tuesday killing 43 people.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded Iraqi army recruitment centre in Baghdad on Tuesday killing 43 people, a defence ministry official said.

At least 100 other people were wounded in the blast, which occurred at around 7.30am (4.30am GMT) in the Baab al-Muatham neighbourhood of central Baghdad, the official said.

An interior ministry official, who put the toll at 41 dead and 102 wounded, said the majority of the victims were army recruits but added that some soldiers who were protecting the recruitment centre were also among the casualties.

The attack is the latest in a surge of killings in August and as Muslims observe the holy dawn-to-dusk fasting month of Ramadan, when insurgents typically step up their attacks.

It comes as the United States withdraws thousands of soldiers from Iraq ahead of a declaration of an end to combat operations at the end of the month.

Iraq is also mired in a political impasse, with no new government having yet formed since elections in March, as public anger has simmered over weak basic services and dilapidated infrastructure. – AFP