JIHAD WATCH:Female suicide bomber kills 3 in Iraq

BAGHDAD-A female suicide bomber killed the head of a local security group northeast of Baghdad on Monday, the targeted leader's brother and a provincial police official said. A child and a security guard were also killed.The woman, wearing an explosives belt, entered the house of Sheik Thaeir Ghadhban al-Karkhi in the predominantly Sunni town of Kanaan, about 12 miles east of Baqouba in Iraq's restive Diyala province, and blew herself up, said Duraid Mahmoud, the sheik's brother.A provincial police official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release the information, confirmed the attack.There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But al-Qaida in Iraq has been targeting fellow Sunni Arabs who have taken up arms against the militants and joined the so-called awakening councils like the one al-Karkhi led.The councils are made up of U.S.-backed former insurgents who have risen up against the brutality and strict Islamic codes of conduct al-Qaida was trying to impose on local populations.The U.S. military said it was looking into the incident but did not immediately have any details.Mahmoud, the sheik's brother, said the bomber had visited the sheik's house on Sunday, claiming that her husband had been kidnapped and asking for help. Mahmoud said his brother told the woman to return Monday."She came back this morning and nobody checked her. She had an appointment with the sheik and the guards told her to go and knock on his door," Mahmoud said.The woman was ushered into the house and blew herself up once she got close to the sheik, Mahmoud said. He said the sheik's 5-year-old niece and a security guard were also killed. The girl was the daughter of one of al-Karkhi's other brothers.The police official also said a child and a security guard were killed, along with the sheik. At least two other people were wounded.Female suicide bombers have been involved in at least 19 attacks or attempted attacks since the war began, including the grisly bombings of two pet markets that killed nearly 100 people on Feb. 1.A female suicide bomber last struck in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad on Feb. 17, detonating herself after soldiers fired three bullets at her. Causalities were disputed in that attack, with Iraqi officials saying four people were killed, while the U.S. military said only the bomber died.The U.S. military said it was looking into reports of the Diyala attack.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_violence;_ylt=Ao9Qs0f0OIBzF9lN.BKfFEpI2ocA
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