Baghdad, February 02: A female suicide bomber walking among Shia pilgrims in Baghdad detonated an explosives belt on Monday, killing at least 54 people and wounding more than 122, officials said.
The bombing was the first major strike this year against pilgrims making their way to the southern city of Karbala to mark a Shia holy day. It came as security official warned of a possible increase in attacks by insurgents using new tactics to bypass bomb-detection methods.
The bombing raises fears of an escalation of attacks as hundreds of thousands of Shias head by Friday to the southern holy city of Karbala to mark the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death Imam Hussein, a revered Shia figure.
The bomber hid the explosives underneath an abaya a black cloak worn from head to toe by women as she joined a group of pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad’s Shia-dominated neighborhood of Shaab, said Gen Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad’s top military spokesman.
-Agencies