BAGHDAD – A series of bombs tore through crowds of Shia pilgrims celebrating a major ritual across Iraq yesterday, killing at least 32 people, mostly women and children, and wounding scores more, local police and witnesses said.
The attacks, at the height of Ashura, which commemorates the death of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam Hussein and defines Shia Islam, underscored Iraq’s fragile security as the last US troops withdraw from the country by the end of the year. – (Reuters)