Suicide attack kills 12 in Iraq
The attack in Samarra, 95 km north of Baghdad, comes nine days after a suicide bomber targeted Shiite pilgrims returning from a religious ceremony at the city's Al-Askari Mosque. Thirty-six were killed in that attack.
Monday's bombing also wounded at least 22 people, according to two police officers and hospital official.
The police battalion that came under attack had been dispatched from a southern Shiite province two weeks ago to help protect pilgrims during the ceremony, said Niyaz Oglu, a member of the area's provincial council.
Oglu accused Al-Qaeda in Iraq of organizing the attack.
«They are taking revenge on the security forces that have foiled their attempts to ignite sectarian violence,» he said.
No group claimed responsibility for Monday's bombing, but such attacks bear the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda or its allied, militant organizations.
Samarra has been a flashpoint since a 2006 attack by Al-Qaeda destroyed part of the golden-domed mosque there. The event sparked a vicious bloodbath between the country's Shiite majority and Sunni minority that swept through the country.
Shiites flocked to the site earlier this month to celebrate a religious holiday, prompting the deployment of extra security forces in the city.
Also Monday, police and hospital officials in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah said two protesters died, including a teenager, and 46 were wounded as a result of injuries sustained during overnight protests.
A Sulaimaniyah police official said that around 2,000 people took part in scattered demonstrations around the city, 260 km northeast of Baghdad, late Sunday. Many Kurds are frustrated by the tight grip with which the two ruling parties control the Kurdish autonomous region.
The official said Kurdish security forces opened fire in the air to disperse the crowd.
Hospital officials said about 20 people were shot, including a 17-year-old and a 27-year-old. The others were hit by flying stones. Kazinorm cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.