Iraqi suicide bomb death toll rises to 38 - army source
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The death toll in a suicide attack outside a revered Shi'ite shrine in northwestern Baghdad on Sunday rose to 38 deead and 55 wounded, a source in the Iraqi army said. (UPDATED)
The explosion took place at a checkpoint outside the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine in Kadhimiya, a mainly Shi'ite area of Baghdad, as Shi'ites prepared to mark the Ashura holiday later this week commemorating the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad.
Twenty-five people, including women and children, were killed in a blast at a taxi and bus station in the same neighbourhood on Dec. 27.
The attack took place a few days after U.S. forces in Iraq came under Iraqi mandate in accordance with a new bilateral pact that will require the withdrawal of the 140,000 U.S. troops by the end of 2011.
As the United States reduces its activities, Iraqi forces are assuming greater responsibility for security. Violence has dropped dramatically across Iraq, but militants continue to carry out suicide bombings such as the one that shattered the calm in Baghdad on Sunday and other attacks regularly.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites will visit the holy city of Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad throughout the Ashura week to mark the death of Hussein, in one of the most important events in the Shi'ite calendar.