(Updates death toll) BAGHDAD, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A female suicide bomber killed 20 people and wounded 30 others at an dinner celebration in Iraq's northern Diyala province on Monday, police said. Police said the attack happened as a group of mostly police officers were breaking the fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the town of Balad Ruz, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Bomb attacks have killed dozens of people in Iraq in the past few days, bucking a trend towards lower violence across the country. Women have carried out more than two dozen suicide attacks in Iraq this year. Earlier, two car bombs exploded in quick succession in the Baghdad district of Karrada, killing 12 people and wounding 37. Diyala is one of Iraq's most violent provinces, a place where al Qaeda militants sought sanctuary after being pushed out of other parts of the country. (Writing by Tim Cocks, Editing by Dean Yates)
Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) shakes hands with visiting U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates during their meeting in the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad September 15, 2008. The new U.S. ...
