UPDATED Iraq: 46 Killed in Attacks on Sahwa Militia (Al Jazeera)

UPDATE 1950 GMT: In a separate incident, a suicide bomber stormed a local Sahwa militia headquarters in the far western town of Qaim, near the Syrian border, and opened fire on those inside.

The attacker was wounded by return fire but then blew himself up as the militiamen gathered around him, killing three and wounding six others.



---
The latest on this morning's bomb targeting the Sahwa ("Awakening) militia:

A suicide bomber has killed at least 43 people and wounded another 40 in western Baghdad, Iraqi police told Al Jazeera.

The attack on Sunday occurred when members of the government-backed Sahwa militia lined up to be paid at an office in the Sunni district of Radwaniya.

The Sahwa militia, or "Awakening Movement", took up arms against al-Qaeda in late 2006 with US backing.

Its fighters, recruited from among tribesmen and former anti-government fighters, is credited with turning the tide in the war against al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Control of the Sahwa passed to Iraq in October 2008, and their  wages - said to have been cut from $300 under US leadership  to $100 - have been paid, often late, by the Shia-led government.

Read rest of article....