Baquba (Iraq): A woman suicide bomber blew herself up in the centre of the Iraqi city of Baquba today, killing at least 16 people and wounding 40, a medic told reporters.

The bomber detonated her explosive vest against a police patrol near the gate of the Diyala provincial governor s headquarters and a courthouse, a security official said. Doctor Ahmed Fuad from Baquba hospital said 16 bodies had been received by the hospital's mortuary.

Among those killed were eight policemen, two women and one child, he told reporters. An AFP correspondent on the scene said several police vehicles caught fire during the explosion, while some nearby buildings were damaged from the impact of the blast.

Baquba and the surrounding province of Diyala have seen a series of suicide bombings by women over the past year. The province, a stronghold of Al-Qaeda, remains one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq despite levels of violence nationwide hitting a four-year low. Iraqi and US forces have been engaged in a sustained offensive against Al-Qaeda in the province.
Source : PTI