meanwhile, in bush's quagmire

Suicide bomb blast kills 23 at funeral in Iraq

BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber struck a tent filled Monday with Kurdish funeral mourners, unleashing a huge fireball that killed at least 23 people in a northern town where Kurds and Arabs are competing for power. Also Monday, Turkey's visiting president pressed the Iraqi government to crack down on Kurdish rebels who stage cross-border raids into Turkish territory from sanctuaries in northern Iraq.

The provincial security office said 23 people were killed and 34 wounded in the suicide attack in the town of Jalula some 80 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.

A member of the provincial security committee, Amir Rifaat, said 24 people were killed and 28 wounded. The difference could not be immediately reconciled.

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