Nine children killed in Iraq suicide bomb attack

A SUICIDE bomber killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a toddler in the northern oil city of Kirkuk yesterday as suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shi’ite workers.

The bomber blew up his truck full of flour and explosives near a girls’ primary school and police station, killing 12 people, including the nine children, a hospital doctor said.

Another 178 people were wounded in the blast that caused extensive damage and happened as US troops were visiting the police station, Kirkuk district police commander Major General Torhan Yussef Abdul Rahman said.