Female suicide bomber targets Shiite ceremony route in Karbala

Karbala: A female suicide bomber killed 40 people and wounded 60 others south of Baghdad on Friday when she blew herself up on a major Shiite religious ceremony route, police said.

The attack in Iskandariya, 40 km south of the capital, came a day after a bomb killed eight people in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, to which hundreds of thousands of visitors were headed to commemorate Arbaeen.

The Arbaeen rite is one of the most important events in the Shiite religious calendar, and marks the end of a mourning period after the anniversary of the death in the seventh century of the Prophet's (PBUH) grandson Imam Hussain.

Some visitors said the bomb attacks would not deter them.

"We came here for the pilgrimage. Nothing will stop us. We aren't afraid. We've been through worse events in the past," said 63-year-old Sadia Ali, who had travelled to Karbala from Baghdad's Sadr City slum.

The attacks occurred despite heavy security on the ceremony route.

The Arbaeen rite, which culminates early Monday morning, is difficult to secure. Many visitors walk all the way to Karbala, and are easy targets as they cover hundreds of kilometres clutching religious banners.

Emergency services have been on high alert, and the public was asked to give blood in case of attacks.

"We have been on alert since last Saturday. From then till now I haven't been able to take even an hour to go and see my family. I have been sleeping in the ambulance," said emergency worker Ahmad Kadhom.

He said that after Thursday's attack, he saw a grief-stricken man carrying his dead young son.

"He was shouting and crying. I will never forget this scene," he said. Insurgents such as Al Qaida have often attacked large Shiite religious gatherings. The insurgents have increasingly used women for suicide bombings because they are less likely to be thoroughly searched by male guards. Another reason for making use of women is because their voluminous robes can easily conceal vests that are packed with explosives and ball bearings or nails.