Female suicide bomber kills 26
2008-08-14 22:00
Baghdad - A female suicide bomber struck Shi'ite pilgrims south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, police said.
It was the deadliest in a series of attacks on travellers heading to the holy city of Karbala for a major religious festival.
The woman blew herself up among a group of pilgrims resting on the side of the road in Iskandariyah as women were cooking dinner, men were praying and children were playing nearby, a witness said.
"Minutes after I passed the resting spot, I heard a big explosion. I turned my head back and saw big flames," said Ahmed al-Saadi, a 34-year-old carpenter from Baghdad's Sadr City district.
"We rushed to the site and saw charred bodies, while wounded people were crying for help.
Pots and burnt prayer rugs were scattered all over the place," he added.
At least 26 people were killed and 75 wounded, a senior police official said.
Authorities have fortified the capital and Karbala to prevent extremists from infiltrating the main areas where the rituals are performed, but pilgrims remain vulnerable as they walk on foot to the shrines.
- AP