It goes against religious taboos in Iraq to involve women in fighting, but three recent suicide bombings carried out by women could indicate insurgents are growing increasingly desperate. On November 4, a woman detonated an explosives vest next to a US patrol in Diyala's regional capital, Baquoba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, wounding seven US troops and five Iraqis. On December 7, a woman attacked the offices of a Diyala-based Sunni group fighting al-Qaida in Iraq, killing 15 people and wounding 35. Then, on December 31, a bomber in Baquoba detonated her suicide vest close to a police patrol, wounding five policemen and four civilians.