BAGHDAD — A car bomb ripped through a crowd of Shiite pilgrims outside the holy city of Karbala on Friday, sending many fleeing into the path of a suicide attacker who detonated a second bomb in coordinated blasts that killed at least 40 people and wounded 150.
The double bombing came on the final day of an annual Shiite religious observance, which has been the target of three large-scale attacks in Iraq this week. In Pakistan, two bombs targeting Shiites observing the same holy day Friday killed at least 25 people and wounded about 100 more.
The bloodshed in Iraq is likely to further stoke tensions between the Shiite-led government and Sunnis over the push to ban some candidates from March 7 parliamentary elections. The U.S. is concerned the ban could destabilize Iraq, crippling efforts to reconcile majority Shiites and Sunnis.
There was no claim of responsibility for Friday’s blasts, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed al-Qaeda and loyalists of ousted leader Saddam Hussein, saying in a statement the two groups had failed to ignite sectarian strife and destabilize the country with the attacks on pilgrims.
The number of Shiites — estimated in the millions — makes the annual observance a prime target for suspected Sunni militants. In each of the past two years, attacks during the ceremonies killed about 60 pilgrims, down from the more than 340 killed in 2007.
Also Friday, a roadside bomb struck a bus carrying pilgrims through Baghdad, killing two and wounding 13, police and hospital officials said on condition of anonymity. Iraqis questioned how anyone managed to plant bombs in an area where the government has deployed an additional 30,000 security forces.
