A suicide bomber with a vest packed with explosives today killed at least two people and wounded 23 in a cafe frequented by police and tribal militias in the medieval city of Samarra in Iraq, police said.
Despite a drop in overall violence over the last two years, bombings and other attacks remain common in Iraq, but the bloodshed is a far cry from the dark days of sectarian slaughter in 2006 and 2007.
Police said the cafe was used by policemen and members of the Sunni Muslim Sahwa or Awakening movement, former insurgents who switched sides and helped US forces battle al-Qaeda.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Years of sectarian carnage was sparked by the destruction of the golden domed al-Askari mosque in Samarra, 100km north of Baghdad, in February 2006.
Reuters