Sent to you by khalil via Google Reader:
Suicide bomber detonates explosives-laden vest outside a crowded police recruitment centre in Tikrit
A suicide bomber wearing a vest laden with explosives attacked a crowd of Iraqi police recruits today in Tikrit, killing at least 42 people and wounding more than 100 others, officials said.
Ahmed Abdul-Jabbar, deputy governor of Salahuddin province, said the attack took place outside a police recruitment centre where men were queueing with their documents.
"Who else would it be but al-Qaida who keep on slaughtering us," he said. "They are the terrorists."
A police source in the city, north of Baghdad, said the main hospital had been overwhelmed and mosques were broadcasting appeals for residents to donate blood.
"The hospital is full of dead and wounded young people. Ambulances are still evacuating casualties," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
More than 300 people were queuing outside the building at the time of the attack, the source said. "There were many killed and wounded," he added.
A Salahuddin provincial council worker, Muhanad Abdulrahman, said he rushed out to a balcony when he heard there had been a bomb in the city centre. "I saw a police pickup truck rush by, piled high with wounded people," he said. "Blood was dripping down the sides of the vehicle and the people in the back were covered in blood."
Violence in Iraq has fallen since 2006/07, when the 2003 US-led invasion triggered a surge of sectarian violence. However, shootings and bombings remain a daily occurrence.
Salahuddin province, home to the family of the former dictator Saddam Hussein, continues to be the target of frequent attacks by suspected Sunni Islamist insurgents opposed to the Shia-led authorities in Baghdad. Tikrit is primarily Sunni.
Insurgents have stepped up their attacks on Iraqi police and troops since US forces formally ended combat operations last August before a full withdrawal this year.
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to The Guardian World News using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites