Associated Press, 21 Jan 2011
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| A pair of bombs blasted through security checkpoints ringing the Iraqi holy city of Karbala on Thursday and killed scores, most of whom were Shiite pilgrims headed to observe yearly religious rituals (AP) |
BAGHDAD - Three car bombs blasted through security checkpoints around Iraq's holy city of Karbala on Thursday and killed at least 51 people, most of whom were Shiite pilgrims headed to observe yearly religious rituals.
It was the latest in a wave of attacks in recent days as insurgents test Iraqi security forces ahead of the planned U.S. withdrawal at the end of the year.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the bombings bore the hallmark of al-Qaida and other Sunni-dominated extremist groups that frequently target Shiite pilgrimages in hopes of re-igniting sectarian violence that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war just a few years ago.
Authorities estimated as many as 183 people were wounded in blasts set off by three suicide bombers driving cars packed with explosives.
Ali Khamas, a pilgrim from the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, said he saw a car speeding toward one of the checkpoints, its driver refusing to stop despite warnings screamed by Iraqi soldiers.
"He sped up and blew up his car near the checkpoint," said Khamas, 42, a truck driver. "After the explosion, people started to run in all directions, while wounded people on the ground were screaming for help. I saw several dead bodies on the ground."
Still, Khamas said, the pilgrims continued to head to Karbala: "It will not deter us from continuing our march to the holy shrine … even if the explosions increase."
Pilgrims go to Karbala for religious rituals that mark the end of an annual 40-day mourning period observing the seventh-century death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Imam Hussein is one of the most revered figures among Shiite Muslims. He was killed in Karbala in a battle that sealed Islam's historic Sunni-Shiite split.
The bombings were the latest in a three-day barrage of attacks across Iraq.
