KARBALA: A truck bomb killed 19 pilgrims south of Baghdad yesterday as pilgrims from around the world thronged Iraq’s shrine city of Karbala to finish commemorations for a revered figure in Shia Islam.
The attack came despite a massive security operation mounted to safeguard the millions of Shia Muslims travelling to and from Karbala for the conclusion of Arbaeen mourning rituals.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in a car park in the town of Musayyib used mainly for vehicles transporting pilgrims, but Sunni militants often try to target Shias during commemoration rituals in a bid to incite sectarian bloodshed.
The 5.00pm (1400 GMT) blast killed 19 people and wounded 47, a police officer and a doctor said, the second deadly attack in recent days in Musayyib, which lies about half way along the main route linking Baghdad and Karbala.
Seven people were killed in Musayyib on December 31, apparently because they were Shiites.
AFP
