Suicide bomber kills 5 in Iraq
A suicide bomber triggers his explosive vest in a crowded cafe in a town near Kirkuk, killing five people and wounding 10.
A suicide bomber triggered his explosive vest in a crowded cafe in a town near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding 10, an official said.
The attack occurred in the town of Tuz, about 70 kilometres south of the oil city of Kirkuk.
"At least five people were killed and 10 were wounded," said Said Mohammed, the mayor of Tuz, a mainly Turkoman-Shiite town. "The toll could rise because we are still sifting through the rubble."
The latest deaths bring to at least 34 the number of people killed in bomb and gun attacks in Iraq since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Thursday, according to an AFP tally based on figures given by officials.
The Islamic State of Iraq, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda, vowed a new offensive during Ramadan.
It also warned it would target Sunni leaders who support US troops in Iraq, and claimed the assassination on Friday of Sunni sheikh Sattar Abu Reesha who had led the fight against al-Qaeda alongside US forces in Anbar province.