BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt killed at least 21 people, mostly Shiites, on Friday in a town north of Baghdad, the town’s mayor said, shattering what had been weeks of relative calm.
The blast in the town of Balad Ruz emphasizes the delicate nature of Iraq’s security gains and comes as the country is approaching its eighth month without a new government since the March elections.
The suicide bomber blew himself up inside a popular cafe in the town of Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, as people were gathered to play dominoes and drink tea, said the town’s mayor, Mohammed Maaruf. An additional 65 people were injured, he said.
The neighborhood where the explosion occurred is home to many Faili Kurds, a small sect of ethnic Kurds following the Shiite branch of Islam, and many of the dead were Shiites.
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, blasts targeting Shiites are often the work of Sunni insurgents trying to stir up sectarian problems.
While scattered violence occurs almost daily in Iraq, Friday night’s blast broke what has been a time of comparative quiet across Iraq. The last such major attack came Sept. 19 when twin bombings in Baghdad killed at least 31 people.
Diyala province, with its mixed population of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, was once one of the most volatile in Iraq but in recent years has seen a drop in violence.
Also Friday, New York-based Human Rights Watch denounced the Kurdish regional government’s investigation into the slaying of a Kurdish journalist critical of Iraqi authorities. Sardasht Othman’s handcuffed and bullet-ridden body was found near the northern city of Mosul; authorities concluded he was killed by insurgents.
“The Kurdistan government needs to get to the bottom of this killing with an open and independent inquiry that will include looking into allegations of government involvement,” said Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch.
