Iraqi PM denounces suicide bombing as 'barbaric massacre'

A suicide bomber detonated a belt of explosives on his body near a highly revered Shiite shrine in southern Iraq today, killing at least 35 people and injuring 122, the Iraqi army said.

The bomber blew himself up while being patted down by policemen near the Imam Ali mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, said Dr Munthir al-Ithari, the head of Najaf’s health directorate.

The Iraqi army said the death toll was 35, with 122 injured.

Two Iranian pilgrims were among the dead and nine were injured,

Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.

Prime Minister Nouri Mailiki, a Shiite, denounced the bombing as a “barbaric massacre conducted by Takfiris (Sunni extremists) and Saddamists who are seeking to inflame sectarian” passions.

A statement by the collective Shiite leadership also issued a similar condemnation.

A Sunni insurgent group, Jamaat Jund al-Sahaba, or Soldiers of the Prophet’s Companions, claimed responsibility for the Najaf bombing in an internet posting.