A female suicide bomber attacked a procession of Shiite pilgrims south of Baghdad on Friday, killing 35 people and wounding 65 others, officials said. According to the AP, the bomber detonated her explosives among pilgrims walking to the holy city of Karbala for Shiite religious ceremonies, a police official said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf confirmed the attack and said security officials were rushing to the scene, located between the cities of Mussayib and Iskandariyah about 60 kilometers south of Baghdad. Two medical officials in nearby hospitals confirmed the number of dead and wounded and said most were women and children.
On Thursday, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt packed with nails among Shiite worshippers in Karbala near the revered Imam Hussein shrine, killing eight pilgrims and wounding more than 50.
Also on Friday, an old mortar round killed two young boys — ages 10 and 15 — who were playing in the backyard of a farm house in Musayyib, about 60 kilometers south of Baghdad, said a police official.
