By IINA,
Baghdad : At least 45 people were killed today when a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of mourners in northern Iraq. The bomber set off his device at about 11 a.m. local time in the Sunni Muslim village of Bu Mohammed, dominated by the American-backed awakening movement, 120 kilometers south of the oil hub of Kirkuk. The attack took place when mourners attended the funeral of Sheikh Ibrahim Aref Al Azzawi, a tribal leader in the predominantly Sunni village, CNN reported quoting police in the Diyala town of Khalis.
Witnesses say the injured have been taken to hospitals in Salaheddin province and in Kirkuk.
The sheikh is not a member of the local Awakening Council, but police believe he and the mourners were targeted because of their sympathies to the movement, which is cutting into what has been the insurgents’ base of support. The sheikh had been gunned down two days ago.
U.S.-backed groups have formed across Iraq to fight Al Qaeda, prompting retaliation against their members. The U.S. military blamed Al Qaeda for car bombings this week in Baquba, Baghdad and Ramadi that killed at least 55 people. The dead included members of the movement against Al Qaeda.