( Reuters )- A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest among mourners at a funeral in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding 21, police said.
Iraq has seen a steep drop in overall violence over the past several months, but U.S. military statistics show the number of suicide bomb attacks has risen slightly since reaching a low in October.
U.S. commanders say militants are still dispatching suicide bombers in an effort to cause mass-casualty "spectacular" attacks.
The overall decline in violence allowed some Iraqis to celebrate on New Year's Eve for the first time in years.