Despite—or perhaps partly because of—threats from ISIS militants, a record 15.5 million Shi'ite pilgrams have converged on Karbala for Arbaeen. The holy day marks the end of the 40-day period of mourning after the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein in 680 CE, and has been punctuated by sectarian terror in Iraq in recent years. One was killed and four wounded in mortar attack on the outskirts of the city Dec. 12. Earlier this week, three were killed and four wounded in a bomb attack on a Baghdad encampment of pilgrims headed for Karbala. Another three were in a stampede as they crossed the border from Iran.
Authorities credited a recent military victory against ISIS in the Jurf al-Sakhr area as making the pilgrimage even possible. ISIS control of the enclave south of Baghdad would have made passage towards Karbala certain death for the pilgrims. The mixed Sunni-Shi'ite enclave has been the scene of much sectarian violence in recent years, earning it the local epithet "Triangle of Death." (Middle East Online, AFP, Al Manar, Lebanon, Dec. 12)
More terror in Baghdad
At least 18 people were killed when two bombs went off in Baghdad's Bab al-Sharqi district, home to a large market and across the Tigris river from the Green Zone (Daily Star)
More terror in Baghdad
Attacks in Baghdad killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens on Feb. 9, just days after the government lifted a nighttime curfew that had been in place in the Iraqi capital for over a decade. In the first attack, a bomber set off an explosive vest in Adan Square, in a predominantly Shi'ite area, when it was crowded with morning rush-hour commuters, killing at least 18. Hours later, a bomb ripped through a commercial area in the northeastern suburb of Husseiniyah, killing four civilians. (AP)
More terror in Baghdad
A wave of bomb attacks around Baghdad killed 37 people and wounded dozens more Feb. 24, as at least seven explosions struck in or near the Iraqi capital. In the deadliest incidents, 24 people were killed in two blasts in a commercial area Jisr Diyala district, southeast of the city. Three of those killed in the second blast were police. Earlier, five other explosions hit northern and southern neighborhoods. (Reuters)