At least 27 people have been killed and more than 40 others wounded after a suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives detonated the vehicle near an Iraqi military base as soldiers changed shifts.
The attacker struck as troops were leaving the base in Taji, 19km north of Baghdad, police said.
Nineteen soldiers were among the dead, they added.
The casualty toll was high because the attacker blew up the car while large numbers of soldiers were walking to and from a parking area for waiting minibuses that take them to and from work, officials said.
They said many of the wounded were soldiers and warned the death toll could rise further because several of the injuries were serious.
The attack was the deadliest in Iraq in more than a week.
On October 27th, insurgents unleashed a string of bombings and other attacks around the country that left at least 40 people dead.
It was the second bombing in Taji in less than 24 hours.
Yesterday police said a car bomb struck an army patrol not far from the site of today’s blast, wounding eight people.
Another bombing yesterday near an outdoor market on Baghdad’s outskirts killed four.
AP