Twin suicide blasts ripped through a wedding party in Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 35 people and injuring 66, an Iraqi army officer said. The suicide bombers blew themselves up at Balad Ruz, about 75 kilometres north of Baghdad in the province of Diyala in a street where guests were gathering on the traditional day for weddings, Thursday.
They detonated their explosive vests in quick succession, said Major General Abdel Karim al-Rubaie, head of the provincial military command. "The first bomber blew himself up amid a crowd of people. Minutes later another bomber blew himself up as people were trying to rescue the victims of the first attack."
Earlier in the day, a car bomb blew up in central Baghdad as a US military patrol passed, killing at least eight people and wounding 21, security officials said. A US armoured car was badly damaged, witnesses said, according to AFP.