BAQUBA (Iraq), July 15: At least 28 people were killed on Tuesday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of recruits on an Iraqi army base in an area known to be a stronghold of Al Qaeda fighters.

The bombers, one of whom wore an Iraqi military uniform, detonated their explosives-filled vests at an army recruitment centre on the Al-Saad base east of Baquba in the restive province of Diyala, a security official said.

At least 55 people were also wounded in the morning attack, he said, which came ahead of an expected new crackdown by Iraqi forces against Al Qaeda in a bid to wrest control of the volatile region from the militants.

“We were about 30 people standing at the entrance,” said one of the wounded, 17-year-old Falah Ali Hussein. “They had just called our names when suddenly there was a big explosion.” A police officer said the victims were from a first batch of men called from across the province to participate in a military recruitment drive.

“The bombers blew themselves up amid the crowd. One bomber was dressed in Iraqi military uniform, while the other was wearing civilian clothes,” the officer said.

The US military said 20 Iraqi army recruits were killed and 55 others wounded. The base has a joint Iraq-US security post but the American military said it suffered no casualties.

Victims were ferried in ambulances and police vans to the nearby hospital in Baquba where relatives rushed to find their loved ones.

Pictures taken by a photographer at the hospital showed the wounded being treated in the lobby which was quickly covered with blood as dozens of blood-soaked victims were brought in.

Outside, a police officer was seen crying next to the body of his slain younger brother, while television footage showed several women searching the bodies to identify their sons who had gone to the military base.

Diyala and its capital Baquba remain one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq with frequent suicide attacks, including several by female bombers, and car bombings.

“Very soon there will be a big operation by our security forces in Diyala,” interior ministry spokesman Major General Abul Karim Khalaf told reporters on Sunday without giving a specific timeframe. In January, Iraqi and US troops launched “Operation Iron Harvest” in Diyala aimed at running Al Qaeda out of long-held strongholds.

A major success in that operation was regaining control of the “breadbasket” farmlands surrounding the town of Muqdadiyah, where the jihadists had held sway for more than a year.

However, Al Qaeda still maintains a grip on other parts of the province.

Since 2006 when the sectarian conflict erupted in Iraq, Diyala has witnessed brutal killings between gangs from the rival communities.—AFP