Suicide bomber kills 30 at Kurdish rally in eastern Iraq

28/04/2014 - 19:16

BAQUBA Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide attacker killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 others at a Kurdish political gathering on Monday, in the town of Khanaqin, 140 km northeast of Baghdad, security sources said.

The Kurds were celebrating the television appearance of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who has been incapacitated since late 2012. Talabani was casting a vote in Germany where he has been undergoing medical treatment.

"The attacker snuck among the crowds near the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's headquarters and blew himself up, causing a tragic massacre," one police officer said, sobbing after he discovered his brother was among those killed.

(Reported by Diyala stringer; Written by Ahmed Rasheed; Edited by Ned Parker and Robin Pomeroy)