A homice bomber blew himself up today at a Shiite Mosque in the insurgency stronghold of Mosul. The blast is reported by the AP to have killed at least 36 people and injured 25 others.

Large parts of Mosul are effectively controlled by insurgents. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Mesopotamia (Iraq) is also said to have a stronghold there along with the Kurdish Salafist group Ansar al-Sunnah. Yesterday, Zarqawi claimed personal responsibility in the Sadeer hotel bombing because "there were a large number of Jews" in the buildiing.

AP:

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shiite mosque during a funeral Thursday in the northern city of Mosul, killing at least 36 people and injuring 25, witnesses and hospital officials said.

U.S. troops cordoned off the area in the northeastern Tameem neighborhood near the mosque. Civilian vehicles helped ambulance crews in ferrying casualties to hospitals.

At least 36 people were killed, said Dr. Saher Maher, speaking from a hospital in the city.

The explosion took place during a funeral in the courtyard of a mosque that was still under construction.

''As we were inside the mosque, we saw a ball of fire and heard a huge explosion,'' said Tahir Abdullah Sultan. ''After that, blood and pieces of flesh were scattered around the place.''

Rows of overturned white plastic chairs were stained in blood. Body parts, believed to be of the bomber, were spread around the area, and the smell of gunpowder filled the yard. Windows of nearby cars were shattered.

''After the cloud of smoke and dust dispersed, we saw the scattered bodies of the fallen and smelled gunpowder,'' said Adnan al-Bayati, another witness.

The mosque is located in a poor Mosul neighborhood and surrounded by many homes.

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