A suicide bomber blew herself up among worshippers yesterday, killing 54. Dozens more were wounded.
The woman detonated an explosives belt after mingling with pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad heading for the southern city of Karbala.
It was the first major strike this year and came as a security official warned insurgents are using new tactics to bypass bomb-detection.
The atrocity raises fears of an escalation of attacks as hundreds of thousands of Shi’ites head to Karbala to mark the anniversary of the death of the 7th-century martyr Imam Hussein.
Al-Qaeda and other Sunni extremists routinely target pilgrims in attempts to stoke sectarian strife and weaken the Shi’ite-dominated government.
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