Iraq suicide bomb attack kills 25

US helicopters helped evacuate the wounded, police said

A suicide bomber has attacked a celebratory feast in Baghdad's western Abu Ghraib district, killing at least 25 people, according to police.

About 30 people are also reported to have been injured when the attacker detonated an explosive vest.

The explosion took place at the home of a tribal sheikh, attended by police and members of the Sunni "Awakening" group, which opposes al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The guests were celebrating the release of a local man from US detention.

The attack took place at around 2030 local time (1730 GMT), according to an interior ministry official.

Abu Ghraib is a mainly Sunni district between central Baghdad and Fallujah.

Al-Qaeda has warned that it will target members of Sunni Awakening groups, which have sprung up across Iraq and which are supported and financed by the US military.

Awakening groups first appeared in the western province of Anbar in 2006 when Sunni tribal leaders started to turn against Al-Qaeda.