BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber struck Shiite pilgrims Sunday on a highway south of Baghdad, killing at least 25 people and wounding 20, police said.
US military passes Shiite pilgrims leaving Baghdad on their way to Karbala, Iraq, Sunday Feb. 24, 2008, for Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day following the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, one Shiism's major figures, who is buried here. [Agencies]
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The blast occurred in Iskandariyah, police said. The pilgrims were marching south toward Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen, the 40th day following the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, one of two major Shiite figures who is buried in the holy city.
It was the second attack against Shiite pilgrims.
Earlier Sunday, pilgrims were attacked by grenades and small-arms fire in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, leaving at least three dead and 36 wounded, police said.
Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of the capital, was one of the main cities in an area dubbed the triangle of death for much of the US-led war. But it has seen a recent decline in violence that the US military attributes to a Sunni movement against al-Qaida in Iraq as well as an influx of American troops.
