Attack leaves five Iranian pilgrims dead in Iraq

Five Iranian pilgrims were shot dead in Iraq Wednesday, including a woman, while riding on a minibus near the Iraqi city of Baqaba, police said.

“At least five people were killed in an attack by armed men against three buses carrying Iranian pilgrims in the Nabi Wais region,” a police official said.

The five victims were among 30 pilgrims traveling 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Bawaba, the capital of the Diyala province north of Baghdad.

At least 32 others were wounded in the attack that took place on a highway connecting Iran and Iraq.

Shia pilgrims, among them Iranians, often come under attack during religious ceremonies in Iraq.

Ariel Goldring