<p>The suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden belt inside the popular coffee shop in the provincial capital Baquba, some 57 km north of Baghdad, Friday evening.<br /><br />The cafe is located in the district of Baladruz, where the majority of residents are Shiite Kurds. Six nearby shops were also severely damaged.<br /><br />A curfew has been imposed in the city, which was once a stronghold of Al Qaeda.<br /><br />The blast was the first major attack in Iraq in several weeks. It comes amid a political stalemate surrounding the formation of a new government that has dragged on for nearly eight months.</p>
<p>The suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden belt inside the popular coffee shop in the provincial capital Baquba, some 57 km north of Baghdad, Friday evening.<br /><br />The cafe is located in the district of Baladruz, where the majority of residents are Shiite Kurds. Six nearby shops were also severely damaged.<br /><br />A curfew has been imposed in the city, which was once a stronghold of Al Qaeda.<br /><br />The blast was the first major attack in Iraq in several weeks. It comes amid a political stalemate surrounding the formation of a new government that has dragged on for nearly eight months.</p>