Blasts kill 27 Iraqis before solemn Shiite holiday

[unhappycamper]

Blasts kill 27 Iraqis before solemn Shiite holiday
By KATHARINE HOURELD
Associated Press Writer
Dec 24, 2:32 PM EST

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Bombs hit Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and a central Iraqi city Thursday, killing at least 27 people and wounding scores more, in the latest attack in the lead-up to Ashoura, the sect's most solemn annual rite.

The blasts raised fears of more bloodshed as hundreds of thousands of Shiites head to the holy city of Karbala in central Iraq for ceremonies Sunday to mark the climax of the religious observance. Ashoura's 10 days of mourning are in remembrance of the killing of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, in a 680 A.D. battle that sealed the split between Shiites and Sunnis.

Authorities said twin bombs killed at least 13 people and injured 74 others in the central Iraqi town of Hillah, the capital of Babil province, which is located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad. The explosions hit a busy bus terminal where many Shiite pilgrims had gathered.

Abandoned shoes lay in puddles of blood as shell-shocked survivors sat in front of damaged storefronts.

"As people gathered here, a powerful blast took place," said witness Ali Hussein. "A bomb exploded there and a car bomb exploded here."


Rest of Stripes article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-12-24-14-32-31