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BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber who hid among the Sunni congregation in anorthern Iraqi mosque sprayed gunfire at Muslim worshippers Friday andthen blew himself up, killing at least 15 people, including the imamleading prayers, officials said.

The brazen attack is the latest against Sunni clerics who haveincreasingly spoken out against al-Qaida in Iraq since US combat troopswithdrew from Iraqi cities at the end of June. The clerics and othersfear militants could take advantage of the transition to step up thekind of sectarian attacks that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil wartwo years ago.

The man who opened fire in the mosque in Tal Afar first shot the imam,Abdul-Satar Hassan, before turning his AK-47 assault rifle onworshippers, witnesses said. He detonated his explosives only afterrunning out of ammunition.

Ninety-five people were wounded in the attack, said Ismail Majeed, adoctor at Tal Afar hospital. Hassan, a member of Iraq's largest Sunnipolitical party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, was among the 15 peoplekilled, he said.

Sahir Jalal, 37, who was sitting on his prayer rug listening to thesermon, said Hassan had just begun speaking when a tall man in thecrowd stood up.

"Then he took out a small rifle from under his jacket and started to shoot," he said.

Seconds later, the man shouted "God is Great" and detonated explosives strapped to his body, he said.

Ahmed Daoud, 42, who had arrived late for prayers and was about tounfold his prayer rug when the shooting started, said he tried to takeshelter.

"Then I hear a big explosion. All the windows in the mosque shatteredand then I lost consciousness," said Daoud, who was struck in the headand chest by flying glass.

Assad Masud al-Taie, 32, who was sitting near the bomber, said he heardthe man recite a verse from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, justbefore he blew himself up.

The attack follows a string of others against Sunni clerics in the country.

Earlier this week, the cleric who leads the biggest Sunni mosque inBaghdad was wounded by a bomb attached to his car. Similar attackskilled a Sunni cleric last week in Saqlawiyah, 45 miles (75 kilometers)northwest of Baghdad, and last month in Mosul, 225 miles (360kilometers) northwest of Baghdad.

While violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically since the height of theinsurgency, the area in and around Mosul is considered one of the laststrongholds of the Sunni-backed insurgency and the site of frequentattacks.

Tal Afar, which is primarily populated by the ethnic Turkomen minority,is only about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Mosul and has gonethrough cycles of stability and instability for years.

Recent attacks in and around Mosul have mainly targeted ethnicminorities, possibly indicating insurgents are seeking out vulnerable,relatively unprotected targets to maximize casualties as the strappedIraqi army focuses its efforts on more central areas of the country.

On Aug. 7, a suicide truck bomb flattened a mosque in a northern Mosulsuburb, killing at least 44 people and wounding more than 200. On July9, two suicide bombers wearing explosives belts killed at least 38people and injured 66 near a judge's house in Tal Afar.

These attacks and a series of suicide bombings targeting the financeand foreign ministries in Baghdad on Aug. 19 that killed about 100people have sparked criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,who has staked his political fortunes on improving security in thecountry.

Al-Maliki blasted al-Qaida and insurgent groups Friday during a servicemarking the end of a mourning period for those killed in the Aug. 19bombings.

"They want to return to the past with all its pains and injuries," he said.

The prime minister is eager to show that Iraqi forces can handlesecurity in the country as they begin to assume control from US troops.

President Barack Obama has ordered all combat troops to pull out byAug. 31, 2010, leaving up to 50,000 in advising roles. Under a securityagreement between Iraq and the US all American forces are to leave bythe end of 2011.

Also Friday, an aide to al-Maliki said a Sunni lawmaker accused of being an insurgent ringleader has been detained in Malaysia.

Mohammed al-Dayni slipped through Iraqi custody several months ago, but was detained in Kuala Lumpur, Yassin Majeed said.

Earlier this year, al-Dayni was charged with ordering a wave of attacksthat included a 2007 suicide blast in the parliament cafeteria andmortar strikes on Baghdad's Green Zone.

Al-Dayni tried to flee the country in February on a flight to Jordan,only to have the plane turned back. He slipped through Iraqi custodyafter arriving in Baghdad and disappeared.

An Iraqi Foreign Ministry official said Friday a letter has been sentto the Malaysian government asking for al-Dayni's extradition to Iraq.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. - AP