Winks Blog

53+ Killed, 105 Wounded, 12 Bodies Found

Good Morning,

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber struck amid a crowd of laborers across from a major Shiite shrine in southern Iraq Tuesday, killing at least 53 people and wounding 105, officials and witnesses said.

In Kufa, 100 miles south of Baghdad, the suicide attacker drove a minivan to a site where Shiite laborers gather to look for employment. He offered work, loaded the minivan with those who accepted and then detonated the vehicle, Najaf Gov. Asaad Abu Kalal told a Shiite television station.

The blast occurred about 7:30 a.m. across the street from Kufa's gold-domed mosque, police Capt. Nafie Mohammed said. The shrine, located in a congested area of the city, marks the place where Imam Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, was mortally wounded.

Senior provincial health official Dr. Muthir al-Ithari said the casualty figure was from reports sent by hospitals in Kufa and nearby Najaf.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, condemned the attack and promised to track down and punish those who planned it.

Late Monday, police said they found 12 bodies in different parts of town _ possible victims of reprisal killings.



Have a nice day.

posted by Wink @ 11:33 AM