Bombs targeting Shiite pilgrims kill 20, injure 60 in Iraq

Reporting from Baghdad -- Attacks targeting Shiite pilgrims bound for the holy city of Karbala rocked Baghdad today, leaving 20 dead and more than 60 injured, government officials said.

The attacks ended a monthlong lull in violence that accompanied Iraq's parliamentary elections, when security was at an all-time high in the capital. The bloodshed also appeared to be timed to the climax of an annual 40-day period of mourning for Shiite faithful, a period in which Sunni insurgent attacks had become commonplace in the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The deadliest incident occurred at a busy bus terminal in Bayaa, in southern Baghdad, when two car bombs exploded, killing 18 and injuring 50. The bombs had been planted in parked cars near buses bound for Karbala, according to police and eyewitnesses.

Ammar Hussein, 25, said he and a friend had just arrived at the station looking for a mini- bus to Karbala. Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion and everything around him turned black.

"I lost consciousness, and when I woke up I saw that my left leg was bleeding," Hussein said. "I was taken to a hospital and was crying the whole time because I don't know what happened to my friend."


Hussein said he could not understand why he and other pilgrims were attacked.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he said. "This is the doing of those who are cowardly and low."

Earlier in the day, a roadside bomb exploded in the northern Waziriya neighborhood, killing two Shiite pilgrims and injuring a dozen other people. Six of the injured were riding past the scene in a bus when the bomb detonated.

Thousands of pilgrims from throughout Iraq walk or drive to Kabala to mark Arbaeen, the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Karbala is roughly 60 miles south of Baghdad, and streets leading into and out of the capital have been choked by throngs of pilgrims. In past years, Sunni insurgents have carried out attacks on Shiite Shia pilgrims and religious sites in an effort to incite sectarian violence and destabilize the nation.

Today's attacks also corresponded with a rotation of U.S. troops in Baghdad. Throughout Iraq, terrorists have often stepped up attacks during such periods of transition.

At a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Liberty in Baghdad on Tuesday, the 1st Cavalry Division took over responsibility for the Baghdad area of operations from the 4th Infantry Division. The ceremony marked the third time the two units, based in Fort Hood, Texas, have transferred control of the Baghdad area to each other.

Over the last 12 months, the 4th Infantry Division saw an 80% drop in the frequency of attacks against civilians in Baghdad and surrounding areas, according to Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III, commanding general of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

Elsewhere today, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki received a special delegation from Iran, signaling closer ties between the two countries that had been longtime enemies.

Maliki said the talks with Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Manoucher Mottaki were aimed at improving political, economic, trade and defense relations with Iran.

In particular, Maliki noted that Iraq is experiencing problems with water - the region is suffering from drought - and he hoped that Iraq and Iran could work together to resolve the crisis.

A statement from Maliki's press office said that Mottaki congratulated the country on the success of its recent parliamentary elections.
LAT

What a mess, and what happened to the thousands of Iraqi troops sent to protect the pilgrims?