A suicide bomber hit a funeral Monday in western Iraq, killing at least six mourners for a member of a tribe with links to security forces, a police official said. According to the AP, the bomber detonated an explosive belt inside a funeral tent in the Sunni area of Haditha, about 220 kilometers northwest of Baghdad. At least 15 people were wounded.
The funeral was for a member of the al-Daghaytha tribe, which includes members of the police and army.
Meanwhile, in southern Iraq, the country's top Shiite cleric threatened to call a boycott of January's parliamentary elections if the voting system includes only the parties and not the names of the candidates. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani wants an "open list" system because he believes it will encourage more voter participation.
According to an official in al-Sistani's office, the cleric may "not play a big role in the political process."
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
