Suicide bomber kills 12 in Iraqi capitalJanuary 9, 2014 - 14:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a military recruiting center in Baghdad, killing at least 12 people, the Associated Press reports. A police official said the attacker struck on Thursday, Jan 9 morning, and that at least 25 people have been wounded in the blast. A hospital official confirmed the casualty numbers. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media, according to the AP. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suicide attacks are the hallmark of al Qaeda's Iraq branch. Its fighters last week overran parts of two key cities west of Baghdad — Fallujah and Ramadi — and have been clashing with Iraqi forces trying to drive them out. The attack on the recruiting center could be a retaliation for the military's offensive. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |