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 4th, a woman detonated an explosive vest next to a U.S. patrol in Diyala's regional capital, Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Bagdad wounding seven U.S. troops and five Iraqis. On December 7th, 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 Baqouba, detonated her suicide vest close to a police patrol wounding five policemen and four civilians.