Three bombs struck a procession of thousands of Shiite pilgrims heading for a shrine to commemorate the death of one of the twelve imams of Shiite Islam. The blasts claimed at least 48 lives and left some 130 people wounded on Monday. The pilgrimage will peak on Tuesday.
Some reports from the scene suggested the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers, with a roadside bomb also being detonated. Hhowever, according to Reuters the attack was carried out by three female suicide bombers. The blasts followed an ambush on the same procession on Sunday, which left seven pilgrims dead.
Sunni members of Al-Qa’ida have previously targeted Shi’ite pilgrims taking part in religious ceremonies in the country, arguing Shi’ism is heresy.
Meanwhile, a suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
While suicide bombings are a part of daily life in the capital Baghdad, Kirkuk, which is located on the border between the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and the central plain, is considered relatively safe and the battles over the city have mostly taken place in parliament. The central government and the representatives of the Kurdish region have been arguing over the control of the oil fields located outside the city.