BAQUBA: A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, killing at least 20 people in the middle of a sermon on Friday.
The explosion took place in the town of Wajihiya in the ethnically and religiously diverse province of Diyala, which has seen an increasing number of attacks in recent weeks.
It was unclear who was behind the blast, the latest in a campaign of attacks that has raised fears of a return to full-blown sectarian conflict in a country where Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis have yet to find a stable way of sharing power.
“I was in the first row of people praying. We were listening to the preacher give his sermon. Suddenly, a huge explosion shook the place,” said Salman Ubaid, 22.
“I fainted and later found myself lying on the floor in Wajihiyia hospital with some shrapnel in the head,” he added. “The situation in Diyala is very dangerous,” said lawmaker Mohammed Othman.
Separately, a suicide bomber tried to enter a Shiite mosque in Jbeila, north of Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad. He failed and blew himself up, killing a policeman who had blocked his way.
Suicide attack kills 20 in Iraq Sunni mosque
