Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 10 West of Baghdad

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Suicide bomber kills at least 10 west of Baghdad
By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber blew himself up at a police checkpoint west of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 10 people including the local police chief, an official said. Fearing more attacks, authorities imposed a vehicle ban and closed all entrances to the targeted town of Hit.

The attacker detonated his explosives belt after approaching the checkpoint, which was near a bridge, at about 9 p.m., said the town's administrator, Hikmat Jubeir. Jubeir said six policemen were among those killed, including the town's police chief Col. Khalil Ibrahim. Four civilians also were killed and 12 other people were wounded, he said.

Hit, 85 miles west of Baghdad, is in Anbar province, which was the center of the Sunni-led insurgency before local tribal leaders joined forces with the U.S. military against al-Qaida in Iraq, a key factor in a steep drop in violence nationwide. The town itself was among a series of communities along the Euphrates River used by al-Qaida and other insurgent groups to smuggle weapons, ammunition and fighters from Syria southeast toward Baghdad.

The bombing was a grim reminder of the dangers that continue to face Iraqis despite the recent security gains.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq;_ylt=AhUSgJvgsJ0g664EjSdNXalX6GMA

[Igel]

1. Sounds like an attempt to distract from Mosul.

Hit, Sinjar are out west. Sinjar's over near Syria; Hit's east of a few towns, including Haditha, but still west of Fallujah.

"West of Baghdad." About as relevant as saying Chicago is west of Philadelphia.