Mosque bombing kills 17

2005-03-10 19:06

Mosul - At least 17 people were killed and 25 wounded on Thursday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shiite Muslim funeral in the restive northern city of Mosul, said medical sources.

"Many people were killed or wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the hall where the funeral service was being held," said one witness.

The bomber struck as mourners flocked into a hall adjacent to the Al-Sadreen mosque in the city's Tamim neighbourhood.

Iraqi and US soldiers quickly ringed the scene of the attack as ambulances rushed victims to hospitals.

Dr Ahmed Rajab at Medical City hospital said his facility had received 17 dead and 25 wounded from the attack, but that the toll could be much higher.

Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city and one of its most diverse, has been gripped by violence since insurgents overran police stations in November, forcing the bulk of the local force to quit and putting US and Iraqi soldiers on the offensive.

Sunni Muslims Arabs make up nearly half of the city's estimated 1.5 million and dominate its west side.

Kurds, Shiites, Turkmen and other ethnic and religious groups are concentrated on the east side.

- AFP