.Bomber kills dozens in Iraq pilgrim attack
A suicide bomber disguised as a policeman has blown himself up in Iraq's port city of Basra, killing more than 50 people and wounding at least 130 others, police said.
The bomber was reportedly wearing a police uniform and carrying fake police identification.
He apparently managed to reach a police checkpoint and blow himself up as Shiite pilgrims were heading to a mosque to mark the end of Arbaeen, one of the main religious ceremonies on the Shiite calendar.
Another report said he had been distributing food to pilgrims, and blew himself up when a soldier challenged him.
"I saw a soldier take hold of the attacker to take him to the officer in charge," said Kadhim Nasser, 42, who ran a nearby rest stop for pilgrims.
"As he was pushing him, something happened and the soldier fell to the ground.
"Immediately, he blew himself up. When he did that, women and children were passing by. I saw dozens of women and children among the wounded."
The bombing killed 53 people and wounded 137, according to Riyadh Abdulamir, head of Basra province's health department.
Security forces sealed off Basra's main hospital afterwards, fearing further attacks.
The death toll was the highest since attacks on Shiites in Baghdad and southern Iraq killed 70 people on December 5, and the deadliest single attack in the country since March 2011.
The attack is the latest in a spate of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims, and coincides with a political row that has pitted the Shia-led government against Iraq's main Sunni-backed bloc.
Arbaeen marks 40 days after the Ashura anniversary commemorating the slaying of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures, by the armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.
Officials said 15 million pilgrims have passed through the city in the past two weeks leading up to the end of the commemorations, including some 500,000 from outside Iraq.
Some 35,000 police and troops were deployed to provide security throughout the rituals, with a further two brigades added to protect pilgrims heading home, said Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanimi, who commands forces across central Iraq.
ABC
The bomber was reportedly wearing a police uniform and carrying fake police identification.
He apparently managed to reach a police checkpoint and blow himself up as Shiite pilgrims were heading to a mosque to mark the end of Arbaeen, one of the main religious ceremonies on the Shiite calendar.
Another report said he had been distributing food to pilgrims, and blew himself up when a soldier challenged him.
"I saw a soldier take hold of the attacker to take him to the officer in charge," said Kadhim Nasser, 42, who ran a nearby rest stop for pilgrims.
"As he was pushing him, something happened and the soldier fell to the ground.
"Immediately, he blew himself up. When he did that, women and children were passing by. I saw dozens of women and children among the wounded."
The bombing killed 53 people and wounded 137, according to Riyadh Abdulamir, head of Basra province's health department.
Security forces sealed off Basra's main hospital afterwards, fearing further attacks.
The death toll was the highest since attacks on Shiites in Baghdad and southern Iraq killed 70 people on December 5, and the deadliest single attack in the country since March 2011.
The attack is the latest in a spate of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims, and coincides with a political row that has pitted the Shia-led government against Iraq's main Sunni-backed bloc.
Arbaeen marks 40 days after the Ashura anniversary commemorating the slaying of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures, by the armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.
Officials said 15 million pilgrims have passed through the city in the past two weeks leading up to the end of the commemorations, including some 500,000 from outside Iraq.
Some 35,000 police and troops were deployed to provide security throughout the rituals, with a further two brigades added to protect pilgrims heading home, said Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanimi, who commands forces across central Iraq.
ABC
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