Baghdad:
A suicide bomber struck a Sunni mosque packed with local officials during Friday prayers, killing 16 people, including a police commander and a judge in Saddam Hussein's hometown, officials said.
The bombing inside a government compound was the third major attack in Tikrit this year, underlining the difficulties Iraqi security forces face in protecting their own people as American forces prepare to leave by the end of the year.
Sixteen bodies were taken to the main hospital in Tikrit, said the province's top medical official, Dr. Raeid Ibrahim. He said 54 people were wounded, indicating that the death toll could rise. Among the wounded was a provincial leader who escaped an earlier attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Sunni insurgents often target fellow Sunnis who work with the government because they perceive them as collaborators with Iraq's Shiite-leadership. Many of the Sunni extremists view Shiites as infidels and non-Muslims.
Amar Yousef, head of the Salahuddin provincial council, said the bombing was "a very severe attack against a holy place." The mosque was located inside a heavily fortified government compound, and the bulk of those attending Friday prayers were government or security officials.
Among the dead were a police commander, a judge and the husband of a provincial council member.
One of the wounded was a provincial council member, Mohammed Fadhil, who was in stable condition after an operation to treat a wound to his abdomen, Ibrahim said. Mohammed al-Asi, a spokesman from the governor's office, confirmed that Fadhil was injured.
Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometres) north of Baghdad, was Saddam's hometown and remains home to many of his relatives and supporters. It is the capital of the Sunni-dominatd Salahuddin province, and the city sheltered some of Al Qaeda's most fervent supporters after the 2003 US-led invasion ousted Saddam.
Tikrit has been the target of some of the most deadly attacks Iraq has seen this year.
A suicide bomber killed 52 people among a crowd of police recruits there on January 18. The bomber had joined hundreds of recruits waiting outside a police station to submit applications for 2,000 newly created jobs.
Then in March, insurgents carried out a vicious, well-coordinated assault on the provincial council headquarters. Gunmen wearing military uniforms over explosives belts charged into the building on March 29 and fended off police for five hours before blowing themselves up.
The bloodshed ended with 56 people dead, including 15 hostages who were shot execution-style. Fadhil was in the building when the attack happened but managed to escape with a broken arm, said Ibrahim, who treated him at the time.
Since then, provincial officials have tried to protect themselves by scheduling meetings irregularly, often setting one time and location and then changing it at the last minute or using different vehicles.
But for an insurgent intent on killing as many people as possible, Fridays are a favorite day; Muslims are usually at the mosque for midday prayers.
Yousef and other officials said a suicide bomber walked into the crowd of worshippers and blew himself up. He said officials were investigating whether bombs were also planted inside the mosque. He said two corners of the building collapsed in the explosion.
Members of Salahuddin's security services and provincial council officials were expected to hold an emergency meeting late Friday to discuss the security breach.
On Thursday night, a series of bombings ripped through the capital of Iraq's western Anbar province, killing nine people, Iraqi officials said.