Basra Suicide Attack against Shiites Kills 50 as Millions Throng Karbala for Arbaeen Climax

A suicide attack on Shiite pilgrims on the outskirts of the main southern Iraqi city of Basra killed at least 50 people on Saturday, at the conclusion of Arbaeen commemorations, officials said.

Riyadh Abdulamir, head of the health department in Basra province, said 50 people were killed and 100 wounded in the 9:00 am (0600 GMT) attack just west of Basra city.

The attacker, who had been distributing food to pilgrims walking to the Khutwa Imam Ali, a site on the outskirts of Basra venerated by believers for its associations with one of the key figures of their faith, blew himself up near a police checkpoint.

Pilgrims in south Iraq who cannot visit the central shrine city of Karbala to mark Arbaeen typically make the shorter trip to Khutwa Imam Ali, which lies around 12 kilometers (seven miles) west of Basra.

Arbaeen marks 40 days after the Ashura anniversary commemorating the slaying of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures, by the armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.

Officials said some 15 million pilgrims will have passed through Karbala by the end of the commemorations, braving the threat of deadly violence targeting the Shiite community that has killed dozens in recent weeks.

In recent days, waves of mourners have overflowed Hussein's shrine in Karbala, demonstrating their guilt and remorse for not defending him by beating their heads and chests in rituals of self-flagellation.

"I have been walking for 12 days," said Adil Salim, a devotee from Basra. "Despite the threats and the exhaustion, we insist on taking part in these commemorations."

"We will never stop, no matter what the terrorists do."

Sad songs blared from loudspeakers throughout the city and black flags fluttered alongside pictures of Hussein and his half-brother Imam Abbas, both of whom are buried in the city.