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Pools of blood outside mosque
18/03/2008 09:10 - (SA)
Baghdad - A female suicide bomber struck Shi'ite worshippers in the holy city of Karbala on Monday, killing at least 53 people and leaving pools of blood on the street leading to one of Iraq's most revered mosques.
The blast was the deadliest in a series of attacks that left at least 72 Iraqis dead, including six youths killed when mortar rounds slammed into a soccer field in eastern Baghdad.
Two US soldiers also were killed on Monday in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad, bringing the American death toll closer to 4 000 as the US-led war enters its sixth year.
The violence marred overlapping trips by Vice-President Dick Cheney and Senator John McCain to Baghdad. Their visits were aimed at touting recent security gains and stressing Washington's long-term commitment to fighting insurgents in Iraq.
The US Embassy and military issued a joint statement blaming al-Qaeda in Iraq for the Karbala attack.
The bomber struck after the worshippers had gathered at a sacred historical site about 800 metres from the golden domed shrine of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in a seventh-century battle.
A police officer said the attacker was a woman - as did a witness.
The US military described the attack as a suicide operation but initially put the casualty toll at 40 Iraqis killed and 65 wounded. The US statement said the identity of the bomber remained unknown.
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