BAGHDAD — A female suicide bomber struck Shiite pilgrims south of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 18 people and wounding scores of others after the government announced measures to protect worshipers ahead of a major religious festival.
The bomber detonated her explosives among a group of pilgrims resting by the side of a road in Iskandariyah, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold 30 miles south of Baghdad. Women were cooking dinner, men were praying and children were playing nearby when the attacker struck, a witness said.
“Minutes after I passed the resting spot, I heard a big explosion. I turned my head and saw big flames,” said Ahmed al-Saadi, a 34-year-old carpenter from Baghdad’s Sadr City district. “We rushed to the scene and saw charred bodies, while wounded people were crying for help. Pots and burned prayer rugs were scattered all over the place.”
There were conflicting casualty tolls, as is common in such attacks where bodies are mangled and identification is difficult. The U.S. military put the death toll at 18, including a policeman and 17 civilians, and said a lone female bomber was responsible. A senior provincial security officer said 26 people were killed and 75 wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to release the figure.
The pilgrims were marching to the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, to celebrate the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th Shiite imam, who disappeared in the ninth century. The ceremonies reach their high point this weekend.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast.
