At least eight people were killed and 17 wounded today when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Iraq's restive Diyala province, a security official said.
The attack took place soon after evening prayers in Balad Ruz, 90 km northeast of Baghdad, Muthana al-Timimi, head of Diyala provincial council's security committee, said.
A source at Diyala's joint cooperation centre put the toll at eight people killed and 15 wounded.
Bombings and attacks remain a daily occurrence in Iraq eight years after the US-led invasion. Although violence has dropped from the height of sectarian warfare in 2006-7, insurgents are still capable of carrying out lethal attacks.
Diyala is one of few remaining provinces where large numbers of al-Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents still battle Iraqi security forces. A volatile mix of minority Kurds, majority Shia and Sunnis has made it difficult to bring peace there.
Last month, at least eight soldiers were killed when a car bomb exploded at an Iraqi army unit in the town of Kanaan in Diyala.
Suspected Sunni insurgents and Shia militia have stepped up assaults in recent months on Iraqi policemen and soldiers, trying to undermine faith in the security forces before a full US military withdrawal by the end of this year.
Reuters