Iraq car bomb kills at least 25 army recruits

GlobalPost

A car bomb went off at the entrance to an Iraqi army base on Tuesday, killing at least 25 potential new recruits, according to security and medical officials.

The attack is the deadliest such attack in more than three months, and took place around midday in the town of Taji, 15 miles north of Baghdad, according to Agence France Presse. It left at least 30 people wounded.

The New York Times said there were conflicting reports of the death toll, with some reporting 26 or 27 killed.

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There were also conflicting stories of the bombing, with a police official attributing the explosion to a car bomb, while an Iraqi Army source said it was a suicide bomber who mingled with the crowd at the recruitment center's gate.

Medical officials at Kadhimiya hospital said most of those wounded were wounded seriously and the death toll was likely to rise, according to The Times.

Al Jazeera reported that nineteen soldiers were among the dead, and several vehicles were damaged in the blast.

This is the second bombing in Taji in less than 24 hours, Al Jazeera noted. On Monday, police said a car bomb exploded near an army patrol, wounding eight people.

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