Suicide bomber kills 50 at Iraq restaurant

The bombing, representing the worst loss of life from a single attack in Iraq in months, occurred at the Abdullah restaurant a few miles north of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq. The oil-rich city is at the crossroads of conflict involving Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens, all of whom are vying for power in Kirkuk. Kurds want to make Kirkuk part of the self-governing Kurdistan region; Arabs and other ethnic groups oppose the idea, saying it would lead to their being driven out of the city.

A referendum on Kirkuk's autonomy was to have been held last year but has been delayed indefinitely.

Iraqi and U.S. security officials said the attacker struck about 2 p.m., the height of the lunch hour. The restaurant lies on the road between Kirkuk, about 150 miles north of Baghdad, and Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region.

The restaurant is a popular gathering spot for local officials, and initial reports indicated that a meeting was taking place there of Arab tribesmen and Kurdish leaders trying to iron out some of their differences.

Shirzad Amin, who was sitting in the back of the restaurant, said the force of the blast threw him to the ground. "When I stood up, I saw tens of corpses here and there inside the restaurant, which was completely destroyed," he said.

Police in Iraq put the death toll at 50 and said about 100 people were injured. The U.S. military said its initial information showed 40 dead and 70 wounded.

The blast came after several days of remarkable calm across Iraq, which since Monday has been observing the annual Eid al-Adha holiday, or the Feast of Sacrifice. The U.S. military says the violence level in Iraq is at its lowest since 2003, when the war began, but the United Nations warned this month that "spectacular" attempts would be made to derail progress and to hinder attempts to hold provincial elections Jan. 31.

Susman is a Times staff writer.

tina.susman@latimes.com

A special correspondent in Kirkuk contributed to this report.