Karbala news stories on Newser

Car Bombs Targeting Pilgrims Kill 18 in Iraq

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:00:00 CST

Two car bombs struck Shiite pilgrims today in an Iraqi holy city, killing at least 18 people as crowds massed for religious rituals marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the Islamic sect's most beloved saint. The blasts in Karbala were the latest in nearly a week of...

Iraq Bomber Kills 27 Shiite Pilgrims on Holy Day

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:56:45 CST

A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb today alongside a crowd of Shiite pilgrims walking to a holy city south of Baghdad, killing at least 27 people and wounding 60. The blast occurred about noon just east of one of three main entrances to Karbala. Shiite pilgrims have been targeted...

41 Dead as Female Suicide Bomber Strikes Iraqi Pilgrims

Kevin Spak — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:51:18 CST

At least 41 people were killed and another 106 injured when a woman blew herself up in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad today. The woman hid the explosives underneath her abaya, a long traditional black garment. Witnesses describe seeing a fireball, and then seeing pilgrims “on the ground,...

Suicide Bomber Kills 35 in Iraq

Gabriel Winant — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:15:51 CST

A female suicide bomber killed at least 35 Iraqi pilgrims on the way to a religious festival today, reports CNN. Another 45 were wounded. The victims, mainly women and children, were in the town of Mussayib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims are currently...

Bomb Wounds Highest Ranking Officer Injured in Iraq

Nick McMaster — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:51:42 CDT

A roadside bomb blew shrapnel today into the highest-ranking US commander yet injured in Iraq, CNN reports. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Dorko, who had taken command October 10, was evacuated to Germany after the bomb detonated by his vehicle in Baghdad. His injuries were not life-threatening and he...

Al-Sadr Tells Mahdi Army to Stand Down

Sam Gale Rosen — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:14:01 CDT

Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for a six-month suspension of activity by his Mahdi Army to reorganize the force. The hostile group has splintered into multiple factions recently, some of which may be trained and supplied by Iran.

Shiite Factions Fight Amid Pilgrims in Karbala

Caroline Zimmerman — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:14:17 CDT

A million pilgrims were ordered to evacuate the holy city of Karbala yesterday as Shiite militias fought each other for control of southern Iraq, killing 51 people. Another 200 were injured in chaos after gunmen loyal to anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr fired on members of the Badr Organization, the armed...

Iran ID’ed Working With Iraq Militants

Jonas Oransky — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:00:08 CDT

The US military has accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of aiding Iraqi militants in a devastating January attack and of using Hezbollah as a go-between to arm violent Shiites in that country. In March coalition forces arrested a Hezbollah operative suspected of liaising between Iran and a group led by a...

Deadly Blast Rocks Holy City

J. Kelman — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:35:18 CDT

A car bomb ripped through one of Iraq's holiest cities today, killing at least 58 Iraqis and wounding over 150 as they made their way to evening prayers. Karbala—the site of two major Shiite shrines—is a hotspot for suicide bombers, who killed 47 in an attack just two...