Suicide bomber on bicycle kills 28 Iraqi police officers

A suicide bomber on a bicycle killed 28 police officers in Baqubah, the capital of Diyala province, during a morning roll call Monday, and authorities reported finding 20 decapitated bodies near a checkpoint just west of there in the afternoon.

In the attack on the police force, the suicide bomber had the device strapped to his chest and targeted officers who were members of an elite reaction force.

More than 20 officers also were wounded in the blast.

The news was much better south of Baghdad in Karbala, where U.S. and Iraqi officials held a ceremony to commemorate the transfer of security responsibilities in the province from the United States to Iraq. Karbala is the eighth of Iraq’s 18 provinces to resume control of its own security.

Amid heavy guard at Karbala stadium, including rooftop snipers, officials from both countries staged a parade and signing ceremony to commemorate the transfer. The parade included women in black abayas marching with small Iraqi flags and a fireman in full gear standing atop a moving fire engine.

The transfer had been postponed several times because bloody conflicts between rival Shiite factions required more aggressive enforcement, including a battle in August that killed more than 50 people on a religious pilgrimage. U.S. troops still will maintain a presence in the region but responsibility for day-to-day control will rest with Iraqi security forces.

Sheik Yahya Khulaif Kabi, chairman of Karbala’s Independent Tribal Council, said the region was ready to accept responsibility for its future.

“The Iraqi people are very happy and more than ready to take security matters into their own hands,” he said. “We are able to take care of all our issues, and as long as the tribes, civil society associations, government and various factions have joined their hands, Karbala will see stability.”

Earlier in the day, police found 20 decapitated bodies dumped near a police station in Diyala. Al Qaeda militants are often responsible for beheadings in the region.

Also, a U.S. brigadier general was wounded in a roadside bombing Monday in northern Baghdad, making him the highest-ranking American officer to be hurt since the conflict began in March 2003, the Associated Press reported.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Dorko was in stable condition and was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. His injuries were not life-threatening.

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christian.berthelsen@latimes.com

Times staff writers Said Rifai and Wail Alhafith contributed to this report.