Nearly Two Dozen Shiites Killed by Car Bomb in Southern Iraq
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — Iraq is still not immune from sectarian violence as evidenced by a deadly assault on Shiite pilgrims Thursday who were returning home from commemorating Arbaeen, the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who died in a seventh century battle.
Police in the southern Iraqi town of Musayyib say the pilgrims were waiting at a bus depot when a car bomb detonated, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens more.
While there were no claims of responsibility for the attack, suspicion fell on Sunni insurgents who remain allied with al Qaeda groups still operating in Iraq.
The bombing came after several days of other assaults on Shiites throughout Iraq that claimed the lives of at least 23 people.
Even ordinary Sunnis are becoming increasingly frustrated with the regime of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been accused of marginalizing Sunnis and Kurds. In the western province of Anbar, Sunnis have held a week-long protests to show their displeasure with the government.
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