Five bomb attacks in Baghdad, Latifiyah and elsewhere in central Iraq targeted Shi'ite pilgrims headed for the holy city of Karbala Dec. 6 for Ashura celebrations, killing 21 people and wounding nearly 100. Car bombs and roadside devices were aimed at buses carrying the pilgrims, and places where they gathered. (AP, Daily Star, Lebanon, Dec. 6) That same day, simultaneous attacks on public Ashura observations were carried out in three Afghan cities. The attack in Kabul left more than 50 dead. At least four were also killed in Mazar-i-Sharif, while the attack in Kandahar caused several injuries. The Kabul bomb was the deadliest in the capital since 2008. The banned Pakistani group Lashkar-i-Jhangvi claimed responsibility—a Sunni militant organization with a special anti-Shia mission. (AFP, Dec. 7; UN Dispatch, Reuters, BBC News, Dec. 6)

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