Female suicide bomber kills 16 at police station

A WOMAN with explosives hidden beneath her black abaya detonated them yesterday in a crowd of about 200 police recruits north-east of Baghdad, killing at least 16 people, police said.

The woman walked into the crowd at the main gate of the Muqdadiyah police station and blew herself up, according to a police officer. At least 16 people were killed and 33 wounded in the mostly Sunni Muslim city about 96km north-east of Baghdad, said Dr Abdul Salam al-Jibour at Muqdadiyah General Hospital.

Meanwhile, US and Iraqi army forces were engaged in fierce fighting with gunmen in two Sunni-dominated neighbourhoods of the capital, Fadhil and Sheik Omar, police and witnesses said.

A US helicopter in the battle came under ground fire but was not shot down, a senior US military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Police said six people, including an Iraqi soldier, were killed and 21 wounded. Repeated artillery fire rang out across Baghdad at midday, but the target was unclear.

A parked car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near Baghdad University, killing at least six people and wounding 11, police said. All of those hurt were civilians, police said.