Iraq suicide bomber kills 45 in strike on anti-Qaeda militia

A suicide bomber targeting anti-Qaeda militiamen being paid their wages killed at least 45 people west of Baghdad yesterday, in Iraq's deadliest single attack in more than two months.

Forty-five people were killed and 46 wounded in the 8.30 a.m. (0530 GMT) bombing in the mainly Sunni Arab district of Radwaniyah, a former insurgent hotspot 25 kilometres from the capital, a Defence Ministry official said, updating an earlier toll.

The fighters from the Sahwa (Awakening) militia were queuing outside an army base to receive their wages when the bomber struck, a commander at the scene said.

"Hundreds of Sahwa members were gathered close to the entrance to the base," the officer said, asking not to be identified. "The suicide bomber blew himself up in the biggest group of Sahwa members. We generally let them enter the base in groups of 10 for them to get their salaries," he added.

A second officer at the scene said the attacker was a male in his 20s.

The bomber, who wore a dishdasha, or traditional long robe, was acting strangely and approached the base quickly, said an Iraqi soldier who asked not to be identified.

He added that another soldier who was wounded in the attack yelled at the bomber and fired shots in the air to try to stop him, but he exploded instead.

The bombing left traces of blood, tissue and pieces of uniform on the wall of the base, an AFP photographer reported.

Recruited from among Sunni Arab tribesmen and former insurgents, the Sahwa militia is credited with turning the tide in the war against Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Also known as the Sons of Iraq, the group took up arms against the jihadists with US backing in late 2006 and has since been on the receiving end of repeated retaliatory attacks. A second suicide bombing targeted the militia on Sunday in the town of Al-Qaim close to the Syrian border, police said.