Female suicide bomber strikes soccer fans in Iraq

At least 29 people were wounded when the bomber detonated her suicide vest in a marketplace in the Diyala province town of Qara Tappa, a predominantly Shiite Kurdish town with a Shiite Turkmen population.

Col. Ragheb al-Omairi, spokesman for Diyala Military operations command, who confirmed the account, said police on foot patrols were also in the area of bombing.

Twenty-five civilians and four police were wounded, with at least 12 of the civilians in critical condition.

The match, which Iraq won 2-1, was watched avidly across the country by Iraqis of all stripes -- united by their love of soccer.

The game was part of the Asian qualifier for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and Iraq and China are part of Group 1, along with Australia and Qatar. The match was played in China.

The top two teams in the round advance to another stage of qualifying for the World Cup. Iraq eliminated China from competition and is in the running to advance.

Celebratory gunfire also rang out across Baghdad, and the Baghdad Operations Command put an urgent message on state TV asking people to be careful and avoid shooting to celebrate.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki issued congratulations to the team, which last year won the Asia Cup.

The bombing underscored the tensions that persist in a country where violence has dropped.

Twenty females have carried out suicide bombings in Iraq this year, many more than in previous years. According to the U.S. military, women carried out eight bombings in all of 2007.