Bomber on a bike kills 25

2007-10-29 11:13

Baquba - A suicide bomber riding a bicycle blew himself up at a police headquarters in Iraq's restive city of Baquba on Monday, killing at least 25 people, mostly policemen, officials said.

Brigadier General Kudair al-Timimi from the police of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, said the early morning blast wounded another 20 people, including a woman and a child.

Doctor Abdul Salam Harfash of Baquba General Hospital confirmed the attack.

Baquba, the capital of Diyala province, is one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq where US and Iraqi forces are involved in a series of military assaults targeting insurgents, especially al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters.

Insurgents have stepped up attacks in Diyala over the past few days and Monday's bombing comes a day after a group of 11 Sunni tribal leaders from the province were kidnapped in Baghdad.

The latest suicide bombing comes on the day the American military prepares to hand over security in the Shi'ite province of Karbala to Iraqi forces.

- AFP