Twin suicide bombings killed 48 people on Sunday, including dozens from a government-backed, anti-Al Qaeda militia lining up to collect their paycheques near a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.
The bombings were the deadliest in a series of attacks across Iraq on Sunday that were aimed at the “Sons of Iraq”, Sunni groups also known as “Awakening Councils” that work with government forces to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq.
The attacks highlighted the stiff challenges the country faces as the US scales back its forces in Iraq, leaving their Iraqi counterparts in charge of security.