Twin suicide bombings rocked a government compound in Iraq's western city Ramadi on Monday, killing at least 17 people and injuring several others. Details of the attack, the second on the compound this month, were still sketchy, with some confusion surrounding the number of those killed and injured. The death toll has risen to 17, most of them police officers, and 47 people have been wounded, said a police official at the site of the attack, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said the blasts were caused by two successive vehicle bombs, and rescue operations were still under way. Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammedsaid the attacks killed seven and wounded 28. He said the first blast happened when a minibus exploded outside the compound. The second blast was caused by a suicide bomber on foot, disguised as a policeman.The compound houses the provincial council as well as the police headquarters for Anbar province. While overall violence in Iraq has dropped from the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-7, bombings and attacks still occur daily. A suicide car bomber killed 13 people and wounded dozens at the same compound on Dec. 12. The sprawling desert province of Anbar was the heartland of a Sunni Islamist insurgency after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Its main cities, Ramadi and Falluja, witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the war.Ramadi is 100 kms west of Baghdad.
