Suicide bomber kills 13 Iraqi army recruits

Baghdad: A suicide bomber targeting Iraqi army recruits has blown himself up inside a minibus on Monday, killing 13 people and injuring seven, police said.

The suicide bomber boarded the minibus outside a western Baghdad recruitment centre shortly before detonating his explosives.

Police sources said the recruits appeared to be from Muthanna base.

Recruitment centres have been frequent targets for Sunni Arab insurgents, including Al Qaida Islamists, who oppose the rise of the Shiite Muslim majority.

In a separate incident, a US soldier was killed in north Baghdad when his patrol came under insurgent fire yesterday.

The US military confirmed the report on Monday.