Iraq: 41 killed as suicide bomber struck army recruit centre

A suicide bomber on Tuesday detonated his payload at a crowded Iraqi army recruitment centre in Baghdad killing 41 people and injuring over 100. The attack, which wounded at least 112 other people, occurred at around 7:30 am local time in the Baab al-Muatham neighbourhood of central Baghdad. The attack occurred at the site of what used to be the Defence Ministry under Saddam Hussein, turned into an army recruitment centre and military base after the 2003 US-led invasion. One army source who declined to be identified said there might have been two suicide bombers, a hallmark of Al-Qaeda and its local affiliates. The bloodshed was the latest in a steady drumbeat of attacks since a March 7 election produced no outright winner and as yet no new government. While overall violence in Iraq has fallen sharply since the height in 2006-07 of the sectarian slaughter between majority Shias and once dominant Sunnis, a stubborn insurgency remains capable of carrying out large scale attacks.