Suicide bomber kills 57 in Samarra, wounds dozens in Iraq

Bomb blast kills 30 in Iraq
Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:50PM
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In this file photo, Security forces, emergency responders and civilians stand near a destroyed building after a car bomb attack in Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011.A bomb explosion has claimed the lives of 30 people and wounded 28 others in Samarra in Iraq's northern Salahudin Province, medics say.


The explosion on Saturday targeted pilgrims travelling by bus to observe a ceremony that marks the death of Imam Hassan al-Askari, the 11th revered Imam for Shias.

"All of the victims inside the bus were Iraqi pilgrims, and casualties included people outside the bus as well," AFP reported.

Samarra hosts the shrine of Imam Hassan al-Askari who died in 874 A.D. The shrine is regularly visited by Shias through the year.

An explosives-laden vehicle went off near worshippers in the small Shia town of Dujail, in Salahudin Province on Thursday killing nine people and wounding 43 others.

Al-Askari mosque was also attacked in 2007 and 2006 leaving thousands of people dead in Samarra.

Analysts believe the recent wave of violence which has hit Iraq is a plot devised in Washington to create a sense of false insecurity to provide a pretext for the extension of US military stay in the oil-rich country beyond the December 2011 deadline.

According to Opinion Research Business, since the US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003 more than 1 million civilians have been killed and about 5 million children have been orphaned.


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12 Feb 2011 15:23

Source: reuters // Reuters


* Suicide bomber targets Shi'ite pilgrims

* Second attack near Samarra this week

* Shi'ites commemorating death of revered imam

(Adds deputy governor quote, details)

By Sabah al-Bazee

SAMARRA, Iraq, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber targeting Shi'ite pilgrims killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens near the northern Iraqi city of Samarra on Saturday, the deputy governor of Salahuddin province said.

The attack was the second suicide bombing this week near Samarra, where Shi'ite pilgrims are commemorating the death of one of their 12 revered imams, and followed a series of recent attacks by insurgents as U.S. troops prepare to fully withdraw.

"It was a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest. An Iraqi soldier at the south entrance of Samarra tried to stop him but he immediately blew himself up near a bus terminal filled with pilgrims," Ahmed Abdul-Jabbar, deputy governor of Salahuddin province told Reuters.

"We were informed by the military leadership of Samarra that 28 people were killed and more than 20 wounded."

A source in Samarra's military operations said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing a vest laden with at least 10 kilograms of explosives.

Raed Ibrahim, head of the provincial health department, said the toll was 33 people killed and more than 50 wounded. A police source at Samarra hospital put the toll at 32 dead and 27 wounded, and said women and children were among the casualties.

Shi'ite pilgrims have been targeted frequently in recent years by a stubborn Sunni insurgency which is still capable of carrying out lethal attacks almost eight years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.

U.S. troops are expected to withdraw by the end of the year.

On Thursday, eight people were killed and 30 wounded when a suicide car bomber attacked a group of Shi'ite pilgrims heading to Samarra. [ID:nLDE71917P]


TIGHT SECURITY

Shi'ite pilgrims gathered in Samarra, 100 km (62 miles) north of Baghdad, to mark the death of Hasan al-Askari, the 11th of the 12 imams. Samarra is the home of the al-Askari mosque and shrine.

Shi'ite religious events were banned under Saddam.

Security around the city had been tightened ahead of the religious event. No vehicles had been allowed to enter or leave Samarra since Friday, residents said.

Saturday's attack occurred by a bus terminal for pilgrims, who have a separate entrance into the city.

Residents trying to donate blood after the incident said they were unable to get to the hospital, which had been sealed off by Iraqi security forces.

Overall violence has decreased in Iraq since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-7, but bombings and attacks still occur daily.

Dozens of people died in attacks on Shi'ite pilgrims last month near the holy city of Kerbala. At least seven people were killed and 78 wounded by three car bombs in the northern city of Kirkuk on Wednesday. (Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim in Baghdad; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Diana Abdallah)

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Death toll rises to 48 in Iraq suicide bombing13 Feb 2011 10:37

Source: reuters // Reuters


A police truck takes victims to the morgue after a bomb attack near Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, February 12, 2011. REUTERS/Sabah al-Bazee

SAMARRA, Iraq, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The toll from a suicide bombing that targeted Shi'ite pilgrims near the city of Samarra, one of Iraq's worst in recent weeks, rose to 48 dead and 80 wounded, police and officials said on Sunday.

The bomber detonated an explosives vest on Saturday at a bus depot at the entry to Samarra, where Shi'ites gathered last week to commemorate the death of one of their 12 revered imams.

The attacker managed to infiltrate a crowd of pilgrims at a security checkpoint where authorities used explosives-sniffing dogs to search vehicles before they entered the city.

"From the cruelty I've seen, it's al Qaeda who carried out this terrorist attack. Al Qaeda insists on undermining stability and peace in Samarra," said Majeed Abbas, a local leader of the government-backed Sunni Sahwa militia.

While overall violence has dropped sharply in Iraq since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-7, security forces are fighting a weakened but still lethal insurgency and bombings and other attacks occur daily.

Attacks on Shi'ite pilgrims last month near the holy city of Kerbala killed dozens. At least seven people died and 78 were wounded by car bombs in the northern city of Kirkuk on Wednesday.

Samarra, 100 km (62 miles) north of Baghdad, is the home of the al-Askari mosque and shrine. Shi'ites gathered to mark the death of Hasan al-Askari, the 11th of the 12 imams.

Shi'ite religious events were banned under Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, who was ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Shi'ite pilgrims have been frequent targets of insurgents since.

Local officials said most of the dead and wounded from Saturday's blast were transported to Baghdad overnight, with dozens of police and military vehicles escorting a convoy of ambulances from Samarra to the Iraqi capital. (Reporting by Sabah al-Bazee; Writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Jon Hemming)