Al-Qaida group responsible for suicide blast

An insurgent group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb that killed nine US soldiers north-east of Baghdad.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group of Sunni militants that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, said in an online posting that it was behind the attack on a US patrol base in Diyala province.

Yesterday’s attack killed nine American soldiers and wounded 20, the military said.