Suicide Bomber Kills 22 in Iraq

Blows up inside mosque during funeral

A suicide bomber disguised as a mourner killed at least 22 people inside a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in northern Iraq on Wednesday when he detonated his explosives in the middle of a crowded funeral ceremony.

The attack on a religious target came as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki faces pressure from mass Sunni protests that are worsening fears that Iraq could slide back into widespread sectarian confrontation.

Dressed in a suit, the bomber mingled with mourners before the blast at the Saif al Shuhada - Sword of the Martyrs - mosque in Tuz Khurmato city at a ceremony for a Shi'ite ethnic Turkman, police and witnesses said.