BAGHDAD (AP) - It's another blow to Iraq's security efforts, as it tries to show that it can protect itself without foreign help.

A suicide bomber struck today in a crowd of police recruits, killing more than 50 people. Police say the bomber had joined hundreds of waiting recruits outside the police station in Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.

A councilman accuses Al-Qaida of carrying out the attack with the goal of bringing “instability” back to the city.

It sheltered some of the terror group's most fervent support after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
(COPYRIGHT 2011 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)