By Xinhua,
Baghdad : A woman suicide bomber blew herself Monday at the entrance to the heavily-guarded Green Zone area of central Baghdad, killing at least seven people, an interior ministry source said.
More than a dozen people were also injured in the attack at one of the main entrances to the zone, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
“Our first reports said that five killed and 12 injured, including security members,” the source said
Suicide attacks carried out by women and girls have become increasingly common in Iraq in recent months. The US military says that the Al Qaeda insurgents prefer using female bombers because they can easily escape detection as the Iraqi police are reluctant to search them.
Insurgents frequently targeted the Green Zone, which houses Iraq’s parliament and several government offices and foreign embassies. The roughly 10 square km area is located on the west bank of the Tigris River which bisects the Iraqi capital.