Five Sunni tribal leaders opposed to Al Qaeda were killed when a suicide bomber drove a minivan packed with about half a tonne of explosives into a house north of Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
The tribal leaders were meeting in an area known as Jurf Al Milih near Taji, about 20 km north of the Iraqi capital, to discuss joining US and Iraqi forces in fighting Al Qaeda in their mainly Sunni Arab area. A police source said the preliminary death toll of five could rise. Another 12 people were injured.
An Iraqi army source said the local Sunni tribal chiefs were meeting after talks were held in Taji on Friday with local Shia leaders. Those talks were held under the protection of US forces, the army source said. |