A suicide bomber blew himself up during a ceremony in a cultural centre in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Thursday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 18 others, police and government officials said. The bomber attacked during a commemoration of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) birthday, said Anbar province Deputy Governor Hikmet Khalaf, who was injured in the explosion.
"We were in the middle of a celebration when a male suicide bomber came to the door of the room and said 'God is Greatest' and blew himself up," Khalaf told Reuters. Police Lieutenant Ali al-Dulaimi, who works in the Anbar police media office, and an Interior Ministry source both put the toll from the blast at 11 people dead and 18 others wounded.