A suicide bomber walked into a Baghdad restaurant Sunday and blew himself up as people were having lunch, killing at least 23, seven of them police.

Al-Qaida-linked group in Iraq led by Jordanian Abu Musab Al- Zarqawi later claimed the bombing attack and identified the bomber as Abu Omar Al-Karaboli from Al-Qaim, near the Syrian borders, reported Al-Arabiya news channel.

The blast, which injured more than 36 people, targetted a restaurant near the fortified Green Zone, which houses the headquarters of the US forces, the Iraqi government and the British and US embassies.

More than 1,000 Iraqis have been killed in daily insurgent attacks since a Shiite-led new government was formed on April 28.

Source: Xinhua