A female suicide bomber blew herself up on Monday among Shi'ite pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad, killing at least 54 people, , including 18 women and 12 children, the office of the Baghdad security spokesman said. More than 100 people were wounded. According to Reuters, the bombing took place as thousands of Shi'ite Muslims flooded the streets at the start of a trek to the southern city of Kerbala, 80 km southwest of Baghdad, for the religious rite of Arbain.
The bomber hid the explosives underneath an abaya as she joined a group of pilgrims, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's top military spokesman.
Monday's attack came as the civilian death toll in Iraq fell by more than half in January to 135 people compared with the previous month. In December, 306 people were killed.
