It is the single deadliest attack since December last year when a suicide bombing killed about 50 people in a restaurant near the northern city of Kirkuk.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew his explosive belt among a crowd of policemen distributing Iraqi Red Crescent food parcels to displaced families in Elwiyah area, part of Baghdad's central district of Karradah.
The attack claimed the lives of some 28 Iraqis and wounded 50 others, the police said, adding that 12 policemen were among the killed and 10 others among the wounded.
Shortly after the two suicide attacks, an Iraqi security spokesman said security troops captured Abu Omer al-Baghdadi, one of the most wanted top al-Qaida leaders.
Baghdadi is believed to be heading the Islamic State of Iraq, a Qaida-led umbrella organization of extremist Sunni militants groups.
"Abu Omer al-Baghdadi, head of what so-called the Islamic State of Iraq, has been captured in Baghdad," Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Baghdad security plan told reporters, adding that Baghdadi will be interrogated before putting on show on Iraqi television.
He said Iraqi security forces identified him at an intersection in eastern Baghdad and that his arrest was based on intelligence tips.
However, Baghdadi's capture could not be confirmed yet as Iraqi security forces had reported Baghdadi's arrest in the past but later said they made mistake.
In 2007, the US military said Baghdadi could be a fictitious character used by Qaida in Iraq network to show that an Iraqi is leading the terrorist organization not foreigners.
Recently, deadly bombings increased dramatically in Iraqi cities, raising fears that the war-torn country could again go back to earlier stages of chaos and bloodshed.
The violence came only over a month ahead of a withdrawal of US. combat troops from Iraqi cities by the June 30 deadline, which some fear may incur a resurgence of violence. US combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, and only some 35,000to 50,000 soldiers will remain in the country for anti-terrorism duties.
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Two Iraqi men inspect a suicide bomb scene in Duloiyah, Salahuddin, Iraq, April 23, 2009. A suicide bomber, around 20 years old, blew himself up in a local mosque, claiming the lives of four prayers and wounding ten others. [Shaalan Jubury/Xinhua]
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(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2009)
