Another Female Suicide Bomber Strikes Iraqi Province, Killing 15 Near Courthouse

The latest in a wave of female suicide bombers killed 15 people and wounded more than 40 others on Sunday near a heavily fortified courthouse and government outpost in central Baquba, Iraqi security officials said. Seven of the dead and 10 of the wounded were Iraqi police officers.

The bombing was the most devastating of four attacks by guerrillas in Diyala Province on Sunday that left at least 25 people dead and close to 60 wounded.

While Diyala is no longer under the almost complete control of Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias, as it was much of last year, a spate of attacks has prompted concerns about the endurance of recent security gains and the extent to which guerrillas in some areas still operate freely.

Hours after the explosion in Baquba, a mortar volley struck north of Khalis, in the western end of Diyala, killing seven people and wounding 12, according to provincial police officials. The mortar shells were believed to have been fired from villages around Khalis, which one police official said “have seen a remarkable increase in the activities of the armed groups recently.”