A suicide attacker blew up a bomb-filled car at a police station south of Baghdad, killing 21 policemen on Thursday, as Iraqi forces braced for Al-Qaeda revenge attacks after Osama bin Laden’s death.
The attack, which also wounded at least 75 policemen, was the worst in Iraq in more than a month, and pushed security chiefs to install new checkpoints, tighten access to key roads and restrict movement between provinces.
The bombing left a two-metre (six-foot) crater and badly damaged the police station in the centre of the city of Hilla, capital of Babil province, in addition to several nearby houses and shops, just days after US special forces killed bin Laden in Pakistan.
The chief of Hilla’s main surgical hospital put the toll from Thursday’s suicide bombing at 21 dead and 75 wounded, all policemen. Of the wounded, 30 were in serious condition, the doctor said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The death toll was confirmed by a list of the fatalities posted inside the hospital.
