Suicide bomber kills 53 Shiite pilgrims near Basra
By Dan Morse and Aziz Alwan,
=====================================================
BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber detonated himself among a group of Shiite pilgrims Saturday morning near the southern Iraqi city of Basra, killing at least 53 in the latest attack against Shiite civilians walking to shrines in recent days, according to security officials.
The blast, which injured another 137, comes as sectarian tensions already are rising in Iraq amid a national political crisis between Shiite and Sunni leaders and previous bombings in both Shiite and Sunni areas.
At 10:45 a.m. Saturday, the man, disguised in a military uniform, struck five miles west of Basra, which is about 360 miles southeast of Baghdad. Many of the wounded are in “very critical” condition, said Lt. Col. Jassim Lefta, a provincial police official. Among those killed were eight women and three children, Lefta said.
The lieutenant colonel said surviving pilgrims accused the police of not protecting them well enough. Iraqi army soldiers arrived to try to prevent further attacks, Lefta said.
Dr. Riyad Abdulameer, a leading health official in the Basra province, put the number of dead at 53.
By Dan Morse and Aziz Alwan,
=====================================================
BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber detonated himself among a group of Shiite pilgrims Saturday morning near the southern Iraqi city of Basra, killing at least 53 in the latest attack against Shiite civilians walking to shrines in recent days, according to security officials.
The blast, which injured another 137, comes as sectarian tensions already are rising in Iraq amid a national political crisis between Shiite and Sunni leaders and previous bombings in both Shiite and Sunni areas.
At 10:45 a.m. Saturday, the man, disguised in a military uniform, struck five miles west of Basra, which is about 360 miles southeast of Baghdad. Many of the wounded are in “very critical” condition, said Lt. Col. Jassim Lefta, a provincial police official. Among those killed were eight women and three children, Lefta said.
The lieutenant colonel said surviving pilgrims accused the police of not protecting them well enough. Iraqi army soldiers arrived to try to prevent further attacks, Lefta said.
Dr. Riyad Abdulameer, a leading health official in the Basra province, put the number of dead at 53.
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