The death toll from a blast in a market in the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar rose to 25 on Saturday after four of the six dozen people injured died from their wounds, a security official said. The predominantly ethnic Turkoman town was under an indefinite curfew a day after Friday's bombing, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to the speak to the media. The official, who was familiar with the police investigation, said the blast was carried out by a lone Sunni Turkoman suicide bomber from Tal Afar, whose identity was established after forensic tests on his remains. The bomber had been released from detention four months ago under an amnesty passed by parliament earlier this year, he added. Initial reports said a parked car was used in the attack. The bomber may have avoided detection at a checkpoint leading to the busy market by having a man ride with him in the passenger seat, said the official. The passenger got off soon after the car passed the checkpoint, he added, quoting witness reports. Suicide car bombers are known to ride alone in most cases, so having a passenger next to them could help them avoid detection. Tal Afar, a frequent target of suicide bombings over the past five years, bans males from driving alone. The top US diplomat and military commander in Iraq condemned the attack in Tal Afar, located 260 miles (420 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus said in a joint statement Saturday that the “senseless” attack will further unite the Iraqi people to reject Al-Qaeda in Iraq and the “indiscriminate” violence it inflicts on civilians. Meanwhile, Georgia – the third largest contributor to the US-led coalition in Iraq – said it is pulling out its entire 2,000-strong contingent from Iraq to join the fighting in the breakaway province of South Ossetia as soon as transport can be arranged. A US military spokesman said the departure of the Georgians will have “some impact” in the near term but no significant long-term effect on Iraq's security. Col. Bondo Maisuradze, commander of the Georgia brigade, told The Associated Press Saturday that all his troops would be leaving, but he couldn't say when because transportation arrangements had not been finalized. “All the Georgian guys will be leaving for the homeland,” he said. The Georgians have asked the United States to provide transportation, and US spokesman Capt. Charles G. Calio said all options are being considered. In scattered violence Saturday, a bodyguard who works for Youth and Sports minister Jassim Mohammed Ja'afar was gunned down outside his home near the city of Kirkuk, according to a police source who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to disclose the information. Also in northern Iraq, unidentified gunmen shot dead a 50-year-old woman outside her home in the Al-Maamoun district in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
