A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt killed 27 policemen and injured 20 on Monday when he blew himself up inside a police base in the city of Baquba, police said.
According to Reuters, they said the bomber struck during a training session at the base in Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad. Baquba's police chief was among 26 people killed last month when a suicide bomber struck in a mosque compound.
Mohammed al-Kirrawi, a doctor at the Baqouba general hospital, said most of the victims were hit by iron balls packed with the explosives to achieve maximum casualties. He said the hospital lacked the necessary equipment to save many of the wounded. "Among the wounded, there are seven in critical conditions and there is little hope that they will survive," he said.
In southern Iraq, meanwhile, the U.S. military turned over security responsibilities to Iraqi authorities in the mainly Shiite province of Karbala, the eighth of the nation's 18 provinces to revert to Iraqi control.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the southern province of Basra's security file would be transferred to the Iraqis in mid-December. "This is the proof of the strong will and resolve of the good citizens of this nation," al-Maliki said at the handover ceremony in Karbala, according to the AP. "The reconstruction of Iraq does not hinge on security alone, but security is the key to everything."
