Suicide Bomber Kills 23 Recruits

A suicide bomber targeting volunteers joining Iraq’s military to fight al Qaeda militants killed 23 recruits and wounded 36 more in Baghdad on Thursday. The bomber blew himself up in the middle of recruits at the Muthanna airfield. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came only a day after current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to take down al Qaeda and its allies. With an estimated 8,868 people killed in 2013, violence in Iraq is at levels not seen in five years.