Bombing kills 53 Shiite pilgrims near Basra, Iraq

BAGHDAD ? A furious explosion erupted among a group of Shiite pilgrims Saturday morning, killing 53 in the latest attack against large groups of Shiites making annual treks to holy shrines, security officials said.

Lt. Col. Jassim Lefta, a provincial police official, said the explosion was triggered by a suicide bomber who arrived disguised in a military uniform. Among those killed were eight women and three children, he said.

Survivors accused the police of not protecting them well enough, Lefta said, adding that Iraqi army soldiers arrived to try to prevent further attacks.

Riyad Abdulameer, a health official in the Basra province, put the number of dead at 53. Another 137 were injured, Abdulameer said.

There were conflicting reports about the source of the explosion. An Iraqi military intelligence officer speaking on the condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that the blast was a roadside bomb.

In recent weeks, and in the wake of the U.S. troop departure, explosions also have rocked parts of Baghdad and other cities, killing Sunni civilians as well. Many officials and analysts attribute the blasts to terrorists trying to provoke a sectarian civil war.

The attack Saturday was similar to one on Jan. 5, when a bomber near Nasiriyah detonated explosives near Shiite pilgrims, killing at least 48 people and wounding at least 81, a provincial security chief said.

Just before that bomb went off, an Iraqi army officer spotted the assailant and tried to intervene, said the security chief, Sajad al-Asadi. The officer, a Sunni, attempted to wrap his arms around the bomber and tackle him before he could detonate his explosives. The officer was killed in the bombing and became a symbol of non-sectarian heroism across the country.

The pilgrims are marching to holy shrines in southern Iraq to honor a venerated Shiite martyr, Imam Hussein. Today marks the end of the annual 40-day period, and many pilgrims will be returning to their homes on Sunday.

The attacks on pilgrims could hurt Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite whose security and military forces are charged with protecting the marchers. Maliki is locked in a political stalemate with Sunni leaders, and prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for new elections.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=cf4ae4488602325e2b235797f1ee1ac8

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