Bombers Kill Dozens Of Iraqi Recruits

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of army recruits Tuesday in a former al Qaeda in Iraq stronghold northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 28 people, Iraqi police said.

The blast at the Saad military camp in Baqouba, 35 miles from Baghdad, also wounded at least 47 recruits, a police official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. military confirmed the attack, saying it occurred around 8 a.m.

Diyala province around Baqouba has been one of the few remaining violent areas in Iraq after offensives against extremists in the south, Baghdad's Sadr City and Mosul in the north.

Iraqi military officials said this week that they plan an offensive in the region soon to rein in remaining militants. U.S. military officials have said they will support that effort, which they called an enhancement of existing patrols and actions there.

On June 22, a female suicide bomber concealing explosives beneath her black robe struck outside a government complex in Baqouba, capital of Diyala province. At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 were wounded.

A car bomb across the street from the same compound killed at least 40 people in April.

Tuesday's attack on the recruits came on the heels of a graduation ceremony for some 650 cadets from four Iraqi military academies in Baghdad - an occasion that underlined what U.S. officials say is the growing self-sufficiency of Iraqi forces.

The Monday ceremony was attended by Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq. Petraeus told the cadets that Iraq needs less help from the U.S. military but promised that the United States remains ready to assist when needed.

A total of 4,800 Iraqis have graduated from the academies over the past three years.

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