Iraqi girl aborts suicide bombing

A teenage Iraqi girl wearing a vest packed with explosives has turned herself in rather than go through with a suicide bombing in a city north of Baghdad.

A US military statement said the girl surrendered to police on Sunday in Baquba, capital of Iraq's restive Diyala province, where Sunni Arab al-Qaeda militants are waging war on US and Iraqi forces.

She was still wearing the vest, which police had to remove before detaining her.

Iraqi police and US sources differed on the girl's age, with estimates ranging from 13 to 17.

US military spokesman Lieutenant Commander David Russell said: "Reports are that she approached the IPs (Iraqi police) saying she had the vest on and didn't want to go through with it.

"If she was forced to put on the vest or if she did it voluntarily, that is still being reviewed."

Under interrogation in a police station, she said an older woman had strapped the vest to her and told her to go near the entrance of a local school and await instructions from someone who would meet her there, police said.

Suicide bomb attacks by women and girls have become increasingly common in Iraq this year.

US forces say al Qaeda militants favour female bombers because they can escape detection by police reluctant to search women.

A US military spokesman Major Jon Pendell said: "The surrender of the suicide bomber indicates that the Iraqis are continuing to reject al-Qaeda and its practices."

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