A suicide bomber blasted a hall crowded with mourners at a funeral ceremony for a relative of an Iraqi police colonel on Monday, killing 17 people in the latest in a spate of suicide attacks.
Major Muthanna al Qaisi of Tikrit police said the powerful explosion ripped through the crowd and caused part of the hall to collapse on top of mourners. At least 11 people were wounded.
Qaisi said the attack took place around 6:30 pm (1530 GMT) at Al-Hajaj village near the city of Baiji during a condolence ceremony for a relative of the deputy chief of security in Salaheddin province, Colonel Ahmed Abdallah al-Juburi. Another security official said that three of Juburi's cousins died in the attack but that the colonel, who was also present, had survived.