Suicide blast kills 11 in Iraq
A suicide car bomber struck a police checkpoint Wednesday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, killing at 11 people in the spiritual heartland of the militia factions led by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. In Baghdad, political tremors grew following claims that a Sunni woman was raped while in custody of the Shiite-dominated police — a case that threatens to escalate the sectarian friction that drives many of the bombings and attacks across the country. Full Story