Multiple suicide bomb attacked the house of a Sunni tribal leader during a gathering in a town near the city of Fallujah Wednesday, killing at least 21people and wounded some 50 others, local police and medical sources said.

"Two suicide bombers wearing explosive belts blew themselves up at about 5:00 PM (13:00 GMT) among a crowd of the al-Jumailat tribe in the house of Sheikh Meshhin al-Khalaf in the town of Garmah," a police source in the town told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Afterwards, two more suicide bombers sneaked among dozens of people gathered to help evacuating casualties and blew themselves up, the source said.

Earlier, Khalaf called on a gathering in his house to urge his tribesmen join the Iraqi security forces to fight the al-Qaida militants in Iraq's western Anbar province, the source added.

Many of the wounded people were in critical condition, he said.

Khalaf's house was totally destroyed by the blasts, the source said, adding that several nearby houses and a police station were also damaged.

Ambulances, police vehicles and private cars transferred killed and wounded people to the General Hospital in Fallujah.

Tribal leaders in Iraq's predominantly Sunni province of Anbar have turned against militiamen of al-Qaida organization, encouraging their sons to joint the local security forces to fight militiamen of al-Qaida network.

Residents in western Iraq often blame al-Qaida organization in Iraq for deadly attacks after rifts emerged between Sunni tribes and al-Qaida's militants.

Al-Qaida's adherence to a hardline form of Sunni Islam and indiscriminate killings has brought it into conflict with some Sunni tribes in Anbar province where Fallujah and Ramadi located.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2007)