A deadly blast in the northern Shiite and predominately Turkmen village of Tal Afar has killed 28 people and injured 50, further raising tensions in northern Iraq. 

Below are extracts of an article published by Today's Zaman

A suicide bomber slammed his truck into a densely populated residential area in the Turkmen town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq on Monday [06 August 2007], killing at least 28 people, including 19 children, local authorities said.

The attack occurred in a crowded Shiite neighborhood. The powerful blast caused houses to collapse in the morning as many families were getting ready for the day ahead and officials said the death toll could rise. "Rescue teams are still searching for casualties among the rubble," said Ali Abbo, the head of the human rights committee.

He said the hospital in Tal Afar was filled to capacity, forcing ambulances to take many victims to Dahuk, about 70 kilometers to the north. At least 40 others were wounded in the attack, said Brig. Gen. Rahim al-Jibouri, commander of Tal Afar police. The attacker drove a dump truck filled with explosives and covered with a layer of gravel, Brig. Gen. Najim Abdullah said.

[…]

Tal Afar, cited by US President George W. Bush last March as a success story after major military operations against insurgents, has been the site of frequent Sunni extremist attacks in the past year [2007]

Many of them stemmed from allegations by a 50-year-old Sunni Arab woman who came forward last February [2007] said Iraqi soldiers raped her when they raided her house searching for weapons. Sunni insurgents have kidnapped and killed dozens of Iraqi security officials in response.

The city also recorded one of the deadliest days since the start of the Iraq war when at least 152 people died in truck bombings on March 27. That attack prompted Shiite militants and police to go on a shooting rampage against Sunnis, killing as many as 70 men execution-style.

Abdullah, who also is mayor of Tal Afar, said the blast occurred 10 kilometers northeast of the city center. Most of the dead, he said, were women and children. Rescue workers were still digging in the rubble for more victims.

Yesterday's [06 August 2007] bombing is likely to add to existing tension in northern Iraq in run up to a year-end deadline for a referendum on the fate of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Turkmens, who constitute a sizable community in Kirkuk, oppose Kurdish efforts to conduct the referendum, fearing a majority vote in support of including Kirkuk in the Kurdish region would bring oppression to them. Turkey calls for a delay in the referendum, saying a massive influx of Kurds from all over Iraq into Kirkuk over the past few years was meant to secure a vote in favor of the city's inclusion in the Kurdish region.

[…]