A female suicide bomber killed at least 19 people, mostly women, and wounded 75 today when she blew herself up among a crowd of Shi'ite pilgrims heading toward a shrine south of Baghdad, according to police reports.
The bomber struck near the town of Iskandariya, 40 kilometres south of the capital, an area where Shi'ite pilgrims have to walk through Sunni Arab towns and villages to reach the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala.
Thousands of pilgrims have begun travelling on foot toward Kerbela to commemorate the birth of the 12th Imam al-Mehdi, a Messiah-like figure revered by Shi'ite Muslims, who believe he disappeared centuries ago but never died.
In another incident targeting pilgrims today, a roadside bomb killed one pilgrim and wounded seven as they walked through central Baghdad's Karrada neighbourhood.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. But US and Iraqi authorities say al Qaeda Sunni Arab militants have increasingly relied on women to conduct suicide attacks, as they can evade security searches.
Three female suicide bombers killed nearly 30 people and wounded nearly 100 last month during a pilgrimage in Baghdad.
Reuters