Two suicide bombings in Iraq killed at least 48 people yesterday, including dozens from a government-backed militialining up for their pay near a military base southwest of Baghdad.

The bombings were aimed at the Sons of Iraq, a Sunni group also known as Sahwa that works with government forces to fight al-Qaida.

The first attack, at 7am, killed at least 45 people and wounded more than 40. It took place at a checkpoint near a military base where Sahwa members were lining up to be paid in the mostly Sunni district of Radwaniya southwest of Baghdad.

"There were more than 150 people sitting on the ground when the explosion took place. I ran, thinking that I was a dead man," said Uday Khamis, 24, sitting outside the Mahmoudiyah Hospital where many of the wounded were taken. His left hand was bandaged and his clothes stained with blood. "There were more dead people than wounded," he said.

A military official at the base said the explosion was the work of one suicidebomber wearing an explosives vest.

Some of the injured complained about what they perceived to be a lack of protection from the Iraqi military. Khamis said the men used to be searched but this time they were allowed to line up without any search.

Another man who was waiting at the hospital with his wounded nephew said this was the fifth day that the men had turned up at the base to collect their pay.

"Every time they went to receive their salary, they told them to come the next day and they did that for four days and now in the fifth day this explosion took place," Hassan Ali said.

In the second attack, a suspected militant stormed a local Sahwa headquarters in the Anbar province town of Qaim, near the Syrian border, and opened fire.

Sahwa fighters returned fire, wounding the attacker, who then blew himself up as they gathered around him, killing three of the fighters and wounding six others.

While violence has dropped dramatically over the past two years, Iraqi security forces remain a favorite target.

Sahwa fighters have played a key role in the reduction of violence since they first rose up against their former al-Qaida allies in 2006, joining the United States military and government forces in the fight against the terror group.

The US used to pay monthly salaries of about US$300 to the nearly 100,000-strong Sahwa force. Last year, the Iraqi government took over paying their salaries.

• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)
• protection [prə´tekʃən] n.警戒；护照；通行证 (初中英语单词)
• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
• nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju] n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词)
• headquarters [´hed,kwɔ:təz] n.总部(署)，司令部 (初中英语单词)
• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)
• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)
• security [si´kjuəriti] n.安全；证券；抵押品 (初中英语单词)
• reduction [ri´dʌkʃən] n.减少；缩小；降低 (初中英语单词)
• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
• suicide [´su:isaid, ´sju:-] n.&a.自杀(者)(的) (高中英语单词)
• militia [mi´liʃə] n.民兵组织 (高中英语单词)
• lining [´lainiŋ] n.衬里；衬料 (高中英语单词)
• southwest [,sauθ´west] n.&a.西南(方)(的) (高中英语单词)
• explosion [ik´spləuʒən] n.爆炸；爆发；发作 (高中英语单词)
• bomber [´bɔmə] n.投弹手；轰炸机 (高中英语单词)
• allies [´ælaiz, ə´laiz] n.协约国 (高中英语单词)
• monthly [´mʌnθli] a.每月(的) n.月刊 (高中英语单词)
• syrian [´siriən] a.&n.叙利亚人(的) (英语六级单词)