Suicide bomb, car bomb attacks kill 3 in Iraq

A suicide bomber and a car bomb targeted anti-Qaeda militiamen near Baquba, north of Baghdad, on Thursday, killing three people and wounding 28, an army officer and a doctor said. The suicide bomber detonated his explosives about 9:15 am (0615 GMT), as Sahwa (Awakening) militiamen gathered near an Iraqi army base to pick up their salaries, a colonel in the Baquba operations command said. A car bomb exploded about 10 minutes later in a nearby parking area as emergency workers arrived at the scene, said the colonel, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The attacks killed two Sahwa members and a soldier, and wounded 28 other people -- four ambulance drivers, six civil defence employees and 14 Sahwa members, the officer said. Dr Omar Hussam of Baquba General Hospital gave the same toll, saying the hospital had received the bodies of three people killed and admitted 28 wounded from the attacks. The Sahwa are made up of of Sunni tribesmen who joined forces with the US military against Al-Qaeda from late 2006, helping turn the tide of the insurgency. Violence has declined nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 258 people were killed in October, according to official figures.