KARBALA: A suicide attacker driving a minibus on Wednesday killed 20 Shia pilgrims, including women and children, travelling on foot to a shrine city in central Iraq, health and security officials said.

Tens of thousands of Shias, including many from neighbouring Iran, make their way annually at Arbaeen to pay homage at Imam Hussein’s shrine in Karbala, considered one of the holiest places in Shia Islam. —AFP Photo

The bomber struck a crowd of pilgrims on the outskirts of Karbala, 110 kilometres south of Baghdad, in an attack that also left 117 people wounded.

The pilgrims had been travelling on foot from Hilla in Babil province to Karbala to observe Friday’s Arbaeen rituals.

A senior provincial health official who gave the toll said at least one woman and three children were among the dead.

An interior ministry official, who confirmed the casualty toll, said the bomber detonated an explosives-laden bus.

Tens of thousands of Shias, including many from neighbouring Iran, make their way annually at Arbaeen to pay homage at Imam Hussein’s shrine in Karbala, considered one of the holiest places in Shia Muslims.

In Baghdad on Monday a female suicide bomber blew herself up among a crowd of pilgrims who were making their way to Karbala for the ceremonies, killing at least 41 people.

Around 30,000 members of the Iraqi security forces have been deployed to the holy city for the festival which culminates on Friday.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s office blamed Monday’s suicide bombing on the Baath party of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

“We hold Baathists and their Takfiri allies responsible for this massacre,” Maliki said.

Takfiri is a term used by the Iraqi government to refer to Al-Qaeda members.

Defence ministry spokesman General Mohammed al-Askari said the woman bomber came from Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, that has in the past been a stronghold of Al-Qaeda which still has a local presence.

Popularity: unranked [?]