Hilla:
At least nine people were killed and another 23 wounded on Saturday when a suicide bomber struck the headquarters of a US-allied Sunni militia south of Baghdad, an Iraqi army officer said.
The bomber detonated his payload as an Iraqi army contingent was visiting the headquarters of the local Sahwa "Awakening" movement to pay salaries, Lieutenant Haidar al-Lami said.
He added that the killed and wounded included Sahwas and soldiers. The Sahwas, former Sunni insurgents who allied with US forces beginning in 2006 to drive out Al-Qaida in Iraq, have played a crucial role in improving security in the war-battered country.
The bomber detonated his payload as an Iraqi army contingent was visiting the headquarters of the local Sahwa "Awakening" movement to pay salaries, Lieutenant Haidar al-Lami said.
He added that the killed and wounded included Sahwas and soldiers. The Sahwas, former Sunni insurgents who allied with US forces beginning in 2006 to drive out Al-Qaida in Iraq, have played a crucial role in improving security in the war-battered country.
