Iraq

Fifty dead in suicide attacks

Article published on the 2008-07-28 Latest update 2008-07-28 14:48 TU

Pilgrims gather at Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine in preparation for the anniversary of his death in Baghdad July 27, 2008
(Photo: Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud)

At least 50 people have been killed after bombs tore through a pilgrimage in Baghdad and a Kurdish rally in northern Iraq. The attacks coincided with the beginning of a week of Shia Muslim celebrations, which draw thousands of religious worshipers to Baghdad.

Protesters at the rally in the region of Kirkuk were protesting over a proposed provincial elections law which has been blocked in parliament because of disagreement over a power-sharing formula in the disputed city. The suicide bombing killed at least 25 and wounded more than 100 according to local officials.

In Baghdad a triple bomb attack killed at least 25, according to security officials, while about 70 people were injured. The bombs in the capital exploded in the mainly Shiite Karradah district, several miles away from the goal of the pilgrimage in Kazimiyah, northern Baghdad. Most of the dead were women and children, police and health officials said.

On Sunday, seven other pilgrims were shot dead on a road south of the capital as they were walking to join in the festivities, while a roadside bomb exploded in Baquba, 60km northeast of Baghdad, killing four Iraqi civilians.

The attacks come as a devastating blow to growing confidence among the Iraqi public. Recent improvements in security had seen the level of violence drop to its lowest in more than four years.

A senior US military official blamed al Qaida for the attacks in Baghdad and said at least two of the attackers were apparently female suicide bombers.