Blast kills 37 in Iraq

Updated 18.44 Sat Feb 24 2007
Keywords: Sunni, bomb, dead, Iraq, Habaniya, mosque

A bomb near a Sunni mosque in western Iraq has killed at least 37 people and wounded around 60.

The bomb exploded in a market in the town of Habaniya - 50 miles west of Baghdad - in the province of Anbar, where US forces are battling Sunni Arab insurgent groups, including al Qaeda.

Local residents said the imam of the mosque had criticised Sunni al Qaeda during Friday prayers

Local residents said the imam of the mosque had criticised Sunni al Qaeda during Friday prayers. Some Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar are leading a campaign to fight al Qaeda, which is deeply entrenched in the province.

On Monday, two suicide bombers in nearby Ramadi killed 11 people when they targeted the house of Sattar al-Buzayi, who has led the anti-al Qaeda drive, which is backed by the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad and the US military.

Insurgents earlier stormed an Iraqi police checkpoint near Baghdad airport, killing eight policemen in a bold challenge to a US-backed security crackdown in the capital aimed at halting sectarian violence.

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