Female suicide bomber kills dozens in Iraq

At least 32 people have been killed by a female suicide bomber in the Iraqi city of Isknadirya. Around 90 others were wounded in the blast. The victims are said to be Shi’ite pilgrims who were en route to the holy city of Kerbala to mark the religious ceremony of Arbain, some 40 kilometres south of Bagdad. The pilgrimage is one of the high points of the Shi’ite calender.

It is the third consecutive day that Shi’ite pilgrims have been targeted. Yesterday, eight people were killed by a blast. In recent years the pilgrimage has seen many such attacks, which have blamed on Sunni extremists.