Attacks on Anti-Qaida Iraq Militia Kill Five

A suicide bomber and a car bomb targeted anti-Qaida militiamen near Baquba, north of Baghdad, on Thursday, killing five people and wounding 26, an army officer and a doctor said.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives about 9:15 am (06:15 GMT), as Sahwa (Awakening) militiamen gathered near an Iraqi army base to pick up their salaries, a colonel in the Baquba operations command said.

A car bomb exploded about 10 minutes later in a nearby parking area as emergency workers arrived at the scene, said the colonel, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The attacks killed four Sahwa members and a soldier, and wounded 26 other people -- four ambulance drivers, six civil defense employees and 16 Sahwa members, the officer said.

Dr Firas al-Dulaimi of Baquba General Hospital gave the same toll, saying the hospital had received the bodies of three people killed and admitted 28 wounded from the attacks. Two of the wounded later died.

The Sahwa are made up of Sunni tribesmen who joined forces with the U.S. military against al-Qaida from late 2006, helping turn the tide of the insurgency.

Violence has declined nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 258 people were killed in October, according to official figures.