Iraqi government sources say at least 28 people were killed and 55 wounded when two suicide bombers attacked an army recruitment centre near the city of Baquba on Tuesday morning.
The attack happened in the Diyala province which remains an al-Qaeda stronghold and the site of frequent suicide attacks and car bombs. Those killed were queuing to join the Iraqi army as part of a recruitment drive, ahead of a major operation against insurgents in the area confirmed by the interior ministry on Sunday.
The toD verdict: This is the third major attack to rock Iraq in the past month, following a car bombing at a Baghdad market that left 51 people dead, and a suicide attack that killed 25 in the western Anbar province. They demonstrate the extent to which recent positive reports about the situation in Iraq rest on a disturbing relativism.
The achievements of the US military surge (which included significant successes against al-Qaeda in Diyala earlier this year), the so-called Sunni "Awakening", and the general weariness of the population with the horrific scale of sectarian killing have brought glimmers of hope to Iraq. But these attacks reveal the resilience of the country's myriad insurgent elements, despite the falling death toll.
With the government finally achieving some measure of legitimacy, the total collapse into civil war that many feared in 2006 seems to have been averted. But these incidents remind us that a decentralised, open network insurgency can continue to strike devastating blows at the establishment with relative ease and lack of expense. The impact, in terms of deterring future recruits and reducing faith in the security forces, is huge.
They are a reminder that progress in an asymmetrical war is rarely linear - that gradually wearing down the enemy does not prevent major shocks to the system. As America debates its long term involvement, they are a powerful symbol of Iraq's immutable vulnerability.
First footage of Guantanamo interrogations
A video has been released showing for the first time the interrogation of a Guantanamo inmate. It was released by the lawyers for Canadian terror suspect Omar Khadr, the youngest inmate at Guantanamo, who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002, aged just 15. He is shown weeping and desperate as interrogators try to convince him to calm down. His lawyers claim he was deprived sleep to soften him up for questioning, and hope the footage will shame Canadian politicians into demanding his release, which they have refused to do in the past. It is believed the footage comes from a camera hidden in a ventilation shaft. A longer 10-minute version is expected to be released soon.
22 PKK rebels reported dead
The Turkish military today claimed that it had killed 22 Kurdish separatists, including a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) during its five day operation in south-east Turkey, near the Iraq border. The PKK yesterday announced that it would only release three German hostages kidnapped last week if the military offensive was halted. The PKK, which is banned in Germany, says that Kurds are mistreated by the German government. Spokesman Sozdar Avesta told reporters: "Their arrest was a reaction to what Germany is doing. We urge the German government to undertake a new policy towards the Kurds."
Israel-Hezbollah prisoner exchange gets green light
A prisoner exchange is set to go ahead between Israel and Hezbollah tomorrow after final confirmation was given by the Israeli cabinet. The deal will see five Lebanese prisoners set free in exchange for the return of two Israeli soldiers, whose kidnap sparked a devastating attack on Lebanon in 2006. Both soldiers are widely believed to be dead. A senior Hezbollah leader described the deal as a "humiliating failure" for Israel. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has also announced that several Palestinian prisoners will be released in the coming days. Critics of the deal, who include the heads of Israel's domestic and foreign security services, see the exchanges as overly generous. Many argue they are an attempt by Olmert to gloss over the recent turmoil of corruption allegations ahead of a leadership contest in September.
Afghan cabinet accuses Pakistan and suspends talks
The Afghan government has suspended a series of bilateral talks with Pakistan as trust between the two sides has collapsed. Afghan president Harmid Karzai directly accused Pakistan's security services of involvement in terrorist attacks in his country, including the bombing of an Indian embassy last week that killed 60 people, and an attempt on his life in April. The talks were due to take place during July and August in Dubai, Islamabad and Kabul. A statement from the Afghan cabinet said: The people of Afghanistan, the world, know very well that Pakistan's intelligence agency and military have turned that country to the biggest exporter of terrorism and extremism to the world, particularly Afghanistan.
