Truck bomb kills 56 at Sunni mosque in Habbaniyah

The blast signalled an escalation in Sunni-on-Sunni violence. The imam of the mosque, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, had spoken out against militants fighting the U.S.-backed government, including the group al-Qaida in Iraq.

FALLUJAH, Iraq (AFP) - The death toll from a bomb attack on a Sunni mosque in western Iraq has risen to 56 with 103 wounded, a doctor said on Sunday as Iraq's prime minister blamed Al-Qaeda for the carnage.

"The final toll of the car bomb which targeted the mosque is 56 killed and 103 wounded," said Dr Mukhies Abdul Hamid, medical supervisor for the Fallujah area which includes the town of Habbaniyah where Saturday's attack took place.

A local medic had said a fuel tanker truck rigged with explosives detonated outside the mosque as worshippers were leaving, causing mayhem.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday Al-Qaeda was behind the attack, and that the blast proved "terrorists" will attack anyone, regardless of their sect.

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