Car bombs kill at least 40, wound 154 in Iraq
Source: Agencies |
February 6, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A TWIN car bombing yesterday targeted a crowd of Shiite pilgrims packing a highway as they walked to a holy city south of Baghdad for a major religious ceremony, killing at least 40 and wounding 154 people, Iraqi ministry officials said.
It was the third deadly bombing this week hitting the ceremony in which hundreds of thousands of Shiites have been converging on the city of Karbala. Yesterday's attack struck during the culmination of the pilgrimage.
The attack began shortly after noon when a parked car bomb exploded near a main entrance to Karbala, two health ministry officials said. The explosion sent throngs of pilgrims running down the highway and straight into the path of a suicide car bomber who detonated the vehicle, they said.
At least 154 people were wounded in the consecutive blasts, the officials said.
The attack came at the height of the pilgrimage when roads around Karbala, 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, were clogged with people trying to reach the city. Crowds made it difficult for ambulances to get to the wounded.
The Arbaeen holy day, preceded by days of mass marches to Karbala, marks the end of 40 days of mourning after the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure.
The concentration of Shiites makes the annual ceremony a prime target for suspected Sunni militants.
Iraqi security forces have increased protection for pilgrims but face challenges trying to find a single attacker in the crowds. This year's Arbaeen events have been the deadliest since 2007.
The attack in Karbala was just a short distance from where a bomb exploded two days earlier, killing around two dozen people. On Monday, a female suicide bomber killed at least 54 pilgrims in an attack just north of Baghdad.
In another attack yesterday, a roadside bomb struck a bus carrying pilgrims through Baghdad, killing one and wounding 13.
In each of the past two years, attacks during the ceremonies killed around 60 Shiites, a drop from the more than 340 killed in 2007.
Tension also escalated this week between al-Maliki's Shiite-led government and Iraq's Sunni politicians over the push to ban some candidates from next month's election.
It was the third deadly bombing this week hitting the ceremony in which hundreds of thousands of Shiites have been converging on the city of Karbala. Yesterday's attack struck during the culmination of the pilgrimage.
The attack began shortly after noon when a parked car bomb exploded near a main entrance to Karbala, two health ministry officials said. The explosion sent throngs of pilgrims running down the highway and straight into the path of a suicide car bomber who detonated the vehicle, they said.
At least 154 people were wounded in the consecutive blasts, the officials said.
The attack came at the height of the pilgrimage when roads around Karbala, 80 kilometers south of Baghdad, were clogged with people trying to reach the city. Crowds made it difficult for ambulances to get to the wounded.
The Arbaeen holy day, preceded by days of mass marches to Karbala, marks the end of 40 days of mourning after the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure.
The concentration of Shiites makes the annual ceremony a prime target for suspected Sunni militants.
Iraqi security forces have increased protection for pilgrims but face challenges trying to find a single attacker in the crowds. This year's Arbaeen events have been the deadliest since 2007.
The attack in Karbala was just a short distance from where a bomb exploded two days earlier, killing around two dozen people. On Monday, a female suicide bomber killed at least 54 pilgrims in an attack just north of Baghdad.
In another attack yesterday, a roadside bomb struck a bus carrying pilgrims through Baghdad, killing one and wounding 13.
In each of the past two years, attacks during the ceremonies killed around 60 Shiites, a drop from the more than 340 killed in 2007.
Tension also escalated this week between al-Maliki's Shiite-led government and Iraq's Sunni politicians over the push to ban some candidates from next month's election.
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