Suicide attack kills Iraqi army recruits in Baghdad

At least 51 people have been killed in a suicide attack on an army recruitment centre in Baghdad, officials say. More than 100 were reported to have been injured in the bombing, in the centre of the Iraqi capital.The attack comes as the US prepares to end combat operations in Iraq by the end of this month.

It also comes a day after one of the two main contenders in Iraq's March election suspended talks on forming a coalition. Violence in Iraq is down from its peak in 2006-2007, though the number of civilian deaths rose sharply in July. Almost daily attacks on Iraqi forces and traffic police in Baghdad and Anbar province, west of the capital, killed some 30 people in the first two weeks of August.

Ex-defence ministry

The BBC's Hugh Sykes reports from Baghdad that a suicide bomber walked up to the army recruitment centre where hundreds of people had been queuing for hours - some since Monday evening. Unemployment in Iraq stands at about 60% and people are desperate for jobs. The attack happened in a busy area close to one of the city's main bus stations, our correspondent says, adding that the streets are full of people early in the morning, making it easy for a suicide bomber to pass unnoticed.

Severed limbs could be seen in the street, which troops cordoned off as Iraqis turned up to look for relatives. The site of the attack used to be the defence ministry under former leader Saddam Hussein. It was converted into an army base and recruitment centre following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Some soldiers were reported to be among the victims of Tuesday's attack. Three men were injured when two small bombs exploded last week at the same site.The recruitment centre takes in about 250 recruits every week as the Iraqi authorities try to boost their armed forces.

The US is to reduce its forces in Iraq to 50,000 at the end of this month, and plans to withdraw all troops from the country by the end of 2011. Iraq's top army officer recently questioned the timing of the pull-out, saying the Iraqi military might not be ready to take control for another decade.