10/02/2014 18:50
Iraq militants 'killed by own bomb while filming video'
At least 21 insurgents have been killed in central Iraq after a car bomb was detonated by accident, the BBC said, citing reports.
They were filming a propaganda video of the would-be suicide attacker when the blast occurred, the head of the local Sunni pro-government militia in Jilam told the AFP news agency.
Security sources confirmed there had been a blast around 08:00 (05:00 GMT).
Jilam, a farming area south of the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, has long been an insurgent stronghold.
There has been a surge in sectarian violence across Iraq in the past year, reaching levels not seen since 2007.
The United Nations says at least 618 civilians and 115 members of the security forces were killed in attacks last month.
However, its figures do not include casualties resulting from the continuing fighting in Anbar, where Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda have taken control of parts of the cities of Falluja and Ramadi.