Eight killed by Iraq suicide bomber

An Iraqi carrying hidden explosives entered a police recruitment centre and set them off today, killing at least eight Iraqis and wounding 15, police said.

The attack occurred in Erbil, a city 217 miles north of Baghdad, said police officer Shwan Mohammed. He said there was an initial report of eight fatalities and 15 injuries, but that many more people may have been killed and hurt in the attack.

Insurgents have stepped up their attacks across Iraq in the last week, often targeting convoys of US and Iraqi troops, and Iraqi police on patrol or at recruitment centres.

A key goal of US troops is to eventually train enough Iraqi security forces to reduce the role now being played by the Americans in fighting the insurgency.