Aftermath of suicide bombing which killed 49
(18 Mar 2008) 1. Various of exteriors of Imam Hussein shrine, men cleaning up blast debris 2. Onlookers at the site where the blast occurred 3. Various of damaged building 4. Bloodstains on ground 5. People gathering, boxes, clothes strewn about 6. Pair of shoes covered with blood 7. Various of police tape on the ground 8. Various of building 9. Building with shrapnel holes 10. Damaged stalls with blood and rubble 11. Various of onlookers aggregating at site 12. Bloodstains on ground STORYLINE: At least 49 people died in Monday's suicide bomb attack on Shiite worshippers in the holy city of Karbala, according to officials. AP Television footage showed a damaged building, blood stains on the ground and blood covered belongings of the victims covered strewn around. The blast on Monday was the deadliest in a series of attacks that left at least 78 Iraqis dead, including six youths killed when mortar rounds slammed into a football field in eastern Baghdad. The US Embassy and military issued a joint statement blaming al-Qaida in Iraq for the Karbala attack. The female suicide bomber struck after the worshippers had gathered at a sacred historical site about half a mile (800 metres) from the golden domed shrine of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in a seventh-century battle. A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to release the information, said the attacker was a woman, as did a witness. The US military described the attack as a suicide operation but put the casualty toll at 40 Iraqis killed and 65 wounded. The US statement said the identity of the bomber remained unknown. Karbala's police chief said 43 people were killed and 73 wounded, but he denied it was a suicide attack, saying a bomb had been planted in the area. The discrepancies could not immediately be resolved. The city's chief health official, said seven of those killed were Iranian pilgrims who had travelled to the holy site. Police closed the area around the twin golden dome mosques and blocked all roads leading to the sites, which include tombs of Imam Hussein and his half brother, also a Shiite saint. The predominantly Shiite city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Baghdad, enjoys tight security. Monday's attack was the deadliest in Karbala since a suicide car bomber killed at least 63 people on April 28, 2007. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
