Mosque blast kills at least 22

A bomb exploded at the entrance of a Shiite Muslim mosque south of Baghdad today as hundreds of worshippers gathered for prayers ahead of the breaking of the fast on the first day of Ramadan, killing at least 22 people and wounding 77, police and hospital officials said.

The explosion hit the Ibn al-Nama mosque, ripping through strings of light-bulbs and green and red flags hung around the entrance to mark the start of the holy month and ravaging the mosque’s facade.