Iraqi Police In Tikrit Kill Female Suicide Bomber

This sounds like it might have been pretty close to a big bombing - kudos to the Iraqi security forces for being alert to these female suicide bombing missions brought on by al Qaeda in Iraq.

Here's some of the details from the article at AFP:

Iraqi policemen shot dead a woman on Saturday on suspicion of preparing a suicide attack on a checkpoint in the Sunni central town of Dhuluiyah, a security official told AFP.
The woman, who appeared to be in her late 20s, was advancing towards a police checkpoint near the town's main police station when she was asked to stop, the official said.
Dressed in a black cloak that also covered her face, the woman refused to stop after which the policemen shot her.
The bomb she carried then exploded, killing her and wounding a civilian bystander, the official added.

We've discussed here before how al Qaeda in Iraq is preying upon widows of Sunni insurgent groups to don these suicide belts and perform these operations. It's disgusting and a crime that the Iraqi people will not soon forget.

The disturbing part of this is that the potential attack happened in Tikrit - nearly all of the female suicide bombings and attempted bombings by women have been conducted in Diyala province where al Qaeda in Iraq had enjoyed their last stronghold. Tikrit is much further north and it does show some al Qaeda influence there.

Iraq police kill suspected woman suicide bomber

TIKRIT, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi policemen shot dead a woman on Saturday on suspicion of preparing a suicide attack on a checkpoint in the Sunni central town of Dhuluiyah, a security official told AFP.
The woman, who appeared to be in her late 20s, was advancing towards a police checkpoint near the town's main police station when she was asked to stop, the official said.
Dressed in a black cloak that also covered her face, the woman refused to stop after which the policemen shot her.
The bomb she carried then exploded, killing her and wounding a civilian bystander, the official added.
It was unclear whether the shooting triggered the blast or the bomber blew herself up.
Iraq has seen more than 30 suicide attacks by women bombers so far this year, according to security officials.
Most of the attacks have been in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, a stronghold of Al-Qaeda fighters.