Iraq bomber targets friends of the US

Albuquerque News.Net
Thursday 24th July, 2008

In Iraq, a female suicide bomber has blown herself up in Baquba, killing at least eight people and wounding another twenty four.

The bomber placed herself near US-allied Sunni Arab fighters who were walking in a crowded street.

The woman, who was shrouded in a traditional black robe, detonated her explosives belt as she approached the group of Awakening Council guards.

It is believed the local Awakening Council chief, Naaim al-Duliami, and seven of his bodyguards were killed in the blast.

The attack has come at the same time as an announcement by the Iraqi military that a major offensive will be launched in Diyala province, of which Baquba is the capital.

Members of the U.S.-allied Sunni groups have frequently been targeted by al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Earlier Thursday, gunmen killed three Awakening Council members in drive-by shootings at checkpoints in northern Baghdad.

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