A suicide bomber wearing an Iraqi army uniform killed 26 Iraqi soldiers Wednesday at an army dining hall north of Baghdad. Military authorities say the bomber waited until lunchtime at the base in Khalis before entering the dining hall and blowing himself up.

In Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed 10 people, mostly police, when he attacked a police patrol.

To the north, near Kirkuk, gunmen killed two senior anti-terrorism police. And mortar attacks killed five Iraqis outside Baghdad. In other developments, Iraqi and U.S. troops found and freed an Australian hostage, six weeks after his abduction in Baghdad.

The U.S. military says troops discovered Douglas Wood and an Iraqi hostage during a routine search operation in Baghdad.

Three people were detained. Mr. Wood, a 63-year-old engineer, later issued a statement thanking his rescuers.