Attack on Iraqi Recruits Kills 60

At least 60 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up amid of crowd of military recruits in Baghdad today, officials say. The bomber joined recruits waiting outside a central Baghdad military headquarters where they were being admitted in small groups. The attack—the deadliest in the Iraqi capital this year—comes as the Iraqi military tries to boost its ranks before the US withdraws its combat troops at the end of this month.

A military spokesman says around a thousand recruits were gathered in an unprotected area outside the headquarters because today marked the deadline for them to sign up. "We couldn't get another place for the recruits," the spokesman tells the AP. "It was difficult to control the area because it's an open area and because of the large number of recruits." (More Baghdad stories.)