Suicide bomber kills 30 Shiite pilgrims near Basra

Suicide bomber kills 30 Shiite pilgrims near Basra

 A suicide bomber detonated himself among a group of Shiite pilgrims Saturday morning near the southern Iraqi city of Basra, killing at least 30 in the latest attack against Shiite civilians walking to shrines in recent days, according to security officials.

 Suicide bomber kills 30 Shiite pilgrims near Basra

The blast, which injured another 80, comes as sectarian tensions already are rising in Iraq amid a national political crisis between Shiite and Sunni leaders and previous bombings in both Shiite and Sunni areas.

 Suicide bomber kills 30 Shiite pilgrims near Basra

At 10:45 a.m. Saturday, the man, disguised in a military uniform, struck five miles west of Basra, which is about 360 miles southeast of Baghdad. Many of the wounded are in “very critical” condition, said Lt. Col. Jassim Lefta, a provincial police official. Among those killed were eight women and three children, Lefta said.

Suicide bomber kills 30 Shiite pilgrims near Basra

The lieutenant colonel said surviving pilgrims accused the police of not protecting them well enough. Iraqi aSuicide bomber kills 30 Shiite pilgrims near Basrarmy soldiers arrived to try to prevent further attacks, Lefta said.