Baghdad: A car bomb blew up near a Shiite mosque in south of Baghdad on Friday where mourners had gathered for a funeral, leaving at least 18 people dead, Iraqi officials said.
The blast took place in a town just outside Hillah, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad, said police and hospital officials in the city. More than fifty people were also wounded in the incident.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The car was parked in a parking lot of the mosque. The mosque as well as a nearby holy Shiite shrine were damaged, although the exact significant of the damage was yet to be known.
The deputy chairman for the province where Hillah is located, Sabah Allawi, said the funeral was for a prominent Shiite sheik.
“The blast was from a parked car bomb targeting the people at the Shiite shrine,” Allawi said.
A member of the provincial council, Mansour al-Maniaa, said the council would hold an emergency session Saturday to discuss the explosion.
“This is a security breach that the security apparatus should be held accountable for,” he said. “This area had weak security protection, therefore terrorists easily reached and targeted it.”
No one has yet claimed the responsibility of the explosion, but Sunni militants such as al-Qaida often target Shiite mosques as a way to stir up sectarian violence.
There are currently about 44,000 US troops in Iraq. There are also about 7,000 private security contractors hired by the US Embassy in Baghdad to protect American government offices and residential buildings in Iraq.
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription