Female suicide bomber kills 54 pilgrims
The bombing was the first major strike this year against pilgrims making their way to the southern city of Karbala to mark a Shi’ite holy day. It came as security official warned of a possible increase in attacks by insurgents using new tactics to bypass bomb-detection methods.
The bombing raises fears of an escalation of attacks as hundreds of thousands of Shi’ites head by Friday to the southern holy city of Karbala to mark the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death Imam Hussein, a revered Shi’ite figure.
