Iraqi Qaeda group claims Anbar attack

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iraqi al Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility on Saturday for a suicide attack in Anbar province earlier this week.

The self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, started by al Qaeda and fellow Sunni militant groups, said in a statement it was behind Thursday's attack by a bomber wearing an explosive belt that killed more than 25 people and wounded many others.

Iraqi police put the death toll at 20 people and the U.S. military said three U.S. Marines and two interpreters had been killed. The bomber struck a tribal council meeting in the town of Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

"(They) have sided with the Crusaders ... and they violated the honor of Muslims and stole their money in the name of fighting terrorism," the Iraqi group said in a posting on a website that carries messages by militant groups.

(Reporting by Ola Galal; editing by Elizabeth Piper)