Iraq terror targets Shi'ite pilgrims —again
Three bomb blasts in Iraq killed more than 30 people and injured 75 others as the Shi'ite Ashura ceremonies opened Dec. 24. Double explosions struck near a bus station in Hilla, Babil province, killing 14 police and a provincal councillor. Another blast came about 15 minutes later when police arrived. Authorities said the attacks targeted Shi'ite pilgrims who gathered near the bus station. In Baghdad's Sadr City, a bomb planted near a funeral tent killed eight people and wounded another 33. In the Shi'ite sacred city of Karbala, where pilgrims were converging for Ashura ceremonies culminating, another bomb killed one and wounded 12.
In Mosul, a 23-year-old Christian was killed when gunmen opened fire on his minibus as he was parking it in front of his house in the east of the city, as Christmas ceremonies in northern Iraq open under tight security. (AlJazeera, AFP, Dec. 24)
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Iraq terror targets Shi'ite pilgrims —again
At least 54 people were killed and more than 100 injured in an attack by a suspected female suicide bomber in Baghdad Feb. 1. The attack took place amid a procession by Shi'ite Muslims who were on a pilgrimage to the southern city of Karbala for the religious rite of Arbaeen. (AlJazeera, Feb. 2)
Iraq terror targets Shi'ite pilgrims —again
At least 23 Shi'ite pilgrims were killed and another 140 injured in two blasts in the holy city of Karbala Feb. 3. In the deadliest attack, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives in a crowded area called Ibrahimia near the east entrance to the city. The other blast took place at the Khan Al-Ruboo area outside the city. Hours earlier, two separate roadside bombs targeting the pilgrims exploded in Baghdad, killing one and wounding seven others. (AlJazeera, Feb. 3)