Bomb blast in Iraq: “17 dead”

Twin suicide bombings rocked a government compound in Iraq’s western city Ramadi on Monday, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens of others, a police source said.

Details of the attack, the second on the compound this month, were still sketchy, with some confusion surrounding the number of those killed and injured.

“The death toll has risen to 17, most of them police officers, and 51 people have been wounded,” said a police official at the site of the attack, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said the blasts were caused by two successive vehicle bombs, and rescue operations were still under way, according to Reuters.
Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed said the attacks killed seven and wounded 28. He said the first blast happened when a minibus exploded outside the compound. The second blast was caused by a suicide bomber on foot, disguised as a policeman.

The compound houses the provincial council as well as the police headquarters for Anbar province.

While overall violence in Iraq has dropped from the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-7, bombings and attacks still occur daily.

A suicide car bomber killed 13 people and wounded dozens at the same compound on Dec. 12.

Ramadi is 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad. Ramadi, Baghdad Sunni Arab, Anbar

Ramadi is the capital of the predominantly Sunni Arab province of Anbar, Iraq’s largest by area.

The province was a key Sunni insurgent base in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion, but since 2006 local tribes have sided with the American military and day-to-day violence has dropped dramatically.

Major attacks do still take place, however.

On Feb. 18, a suicide bomber killed 10 people, including four policemen and a young girl, and wounded 15 in an attack also near the provincial government offices.

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