BAGHDAD, Iraq — A suicide bomber attacked an Iraqi army recruiting center in northern Iraq today, killing at least 15 people and wounding as many as 30, the Iraqi military said. At least 21 more bodies were found — many with nooses around their neck — and mortar and bomb attacks killed at least four people.

The bomber struck the center shortly after noon at an Iraqi army recruiting center, which is in front of a joint U.S.-Iraqi military base between Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, and the ancient city of Tal Afar.

The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known. President Bush singled out Tal Afar in a recent speech as a success story for American and Iraqi forces in the drive to quell the insurgency.

Iraqi army Lt. Akram Eid said many of the wounded were taken to the Sykes U.S. Army base on the outskirts of Tal Afar, which is near the Syrian border and about 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Hundreds of people protested in Afghanistan today against a court's decision to drop a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity, while an official said discussions were under way to determine when he would be released.Officials said the case was dropped Sunday partially because of concerns that Abdul Rahman is mentally unfit to face trial. The move also followed strong pressure from Western governments.Prosecutors have said they want doctors to examine Rahman, but they have not confirmed that he would be released. Prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari said state attorneys were working on the case today and an announcement would be made later in the day. He declined to elaborate.An Afghan official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that the 41-year-old would be released, but authorities were debating how and when it would be done.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, had earlier said that a decision may be made by today and that Rahman would not have to remain in jail while prosecutors investigate whether to bring another case against him to the courts.