40 Iraq Shiite Pilgrims Killed in Blast

Tent explodes as pilgrims take a break during a days-long trek

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 24, 2008 10:00 AM CST

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40 Iraq Shiite Pilgrims Killed in Blast — Medics wheel a wounded pilgrim to a hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday Feb. 24, 2008. Three Shiite pilgrims were killed Sunday morning in an attack that wounded as many as 36 others, including two officers who were protecting the travelers. The pilgrims were headed to Karbala for Arbaeen, which marks... (Associated Press)

At least 40 people were killed today when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest amid a crowd of Shiite pilgrims during a trek south of Baghdad. A tent where the marchers stopped for food exploded in Iskandariyah in the second attack on Arbaeen, a day when millions descend on Karbala to honor the grandson of the prophet Muhammad, who is buried there.

Earlier, three pilgrims were killed in a sniper-and-bomb attack in Baghdad. Some 40,000 police officers and military troops were deployed to protect the pilgrims from expected attacks by Sunni insurgents. The violence occurred as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki traveled to London for a second round of medical tests following an illness two months ago. A spokesmen described it as a routine examination that confirmed he was in good health. (More Iraq stories.)

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