2004 Baqubah bombing

The 2004 Baquba bombing occurred next to a local market and a police station on 28 July 2004, in Baquba, Diyala Governorate, targeting civilians that were lined up waiting to sign up as police volunteers. According to witnesses, a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the queue outside the building and detonated the explosive charges. The force of the blast was huge and completely destroyed a minivan that was parking nearby, killing all 21 people inside. A total of 68 Iraqis perished in the attack and scores more were wounded. The city of Baquba went on to become an important center for the Iraqi insurgency and was declared to be the center of operations for the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006, before US troops moved in and forced the group to relocate. It was the site of almost daily incidents, including major attacks in 2008 and 2010.