10 killed in Shiite pilgrimage to Karbala
Every year in Iraq, it seems, Shiite pilgrims will be killed on their pilgrimage to Karbala, one of their holiest cities.
A total of 10 people were killed and 70 wounded as a series of car bombs ripped through crowds on Friday and Saturday in the Karbala, Xinhua reported.
The attacks started on Friday afternoon when two car bombs exploded at a garage near the Shiite shrine in northern part of Karbala, killing three people and wounding 15 others, local police said.
Another car detonated late Friday in a town 30 km east of Karbala, killing six pilgrims processing towards the holy shrine of Karbala and wounding 28 others, an Interior Ministry source said.
On Saturday morning, a motorcycle bomb struck a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in one of Karbala's southern neighborhoods, killing one and wounding 27 others, the source said.
Karbala is the scene for a major Shiite ceremony commemorating the birthday of the 12th and last Imam, Mohammed Ibn Hassan al-Mahdi, the most revered of Shiite Imams.
Since 2003, thousands of Shiite pilgrims have been killed and wounded in explosions and assassinations, CNN reported.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!