Suicide Bomb Kills 60 Army Recruits

Sixty Iraqi army recruits were killed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up outside a military headquarters in Baghdad Tuesday; the attack is one of the worst to hit Iraq in months. At least 125 other recruits were injured in the blast. The attack is an embarrassment to Iraq’s security forces, who are taking over the country as American combat troops leave at the end of the month. An Iraqi military spokesman blamed al Qaeda for the bombing, saying a terrorist group member’s torso was found at the scene. A witness said he saw a blond young man sitting quietly among the thousand recruits who had gathered; the man then walked over to an officer collecting IDs and exploded. "Severed hands and legs were falling over me," the witness said. "I was soaked with blood from the body parts and wounded and dead people falling over and beside me." Insurgents have promised to increase their attacks as the U.S. pulls out of Iraq.