Baghdad - A suicide attack in southern Iraq on Saturday killed at least nine members of a Sunni group aligned with US forces and injured 30 members of the group, the al-Jazeera news channel reported. A suicide bomber targeted the headquarters of the Iraqi army in al-Askandariyah city in Babil province, where he blew up himself among a gathering of Sahwa fighters, or members of Iraq's so-called "Awakening Councils."

The victims had been collecting their monthly wages at the time of the attack, according to al-Jazeera.

The number of casualties was expected to increase.

Awakening Councils consist of around 99,000 Sunni tribe members, who, repulsed by al-Qaeda's killings of civilians, allied themselves with US forces. They have succeeded crushing al-Qaeda and expelling a large number of its fighters over the past few years.

Members of the councils have become a constant target for al-Qaeda attacks.

Babil is located 100 kilometres south of the capital Baghdad. US forces recently transferred control of the province to Iraqi security forces.