A twin suicide attack targeting soldiers and anti-Al Qaeda militiamen in central Iraq killed 12 people late on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said.
A police officer speaking to the Associated Press reported that the first attacker detonated his explosives belt late Tuesday among a group of soldiers and Sahwa militiamen gathered in the orchard of a local militia leader in the town of Tarmiyah.
A second suicide bomber then blew himself up at the gate of the compound as people tried to flee from the first explosion, according to AP.
Nine Iraqi troops -- including a brigade commander -- and three militiamen were killed, and 23 were wounded, the official added.
Tarmiyah, a former insurgent stronghold, is about 50 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
A medical official also confirmed the death toll to AP, but spoke on condition of anonymity.
