A FEMALE suicide bomber has killed 35 civilians, including women and children, and wounded 65 others during a religious procession near the Kadhimiyah shrine in northern Baghdad.
Iraqi government officials said the explosion occurred close to one of the gates of the shrine at about 11am (1900 AEDT) today, killing 35 people and wounding 65 others.
The bomber targeted people participating in a ritual procession related to the Ashura ceremonies that climax on January 7.
The festival mourns the killing of Imam Hussein by armies of the Sunni caliph Yazid in the year 680.
It is characterised by processions of wailing men beating their chests and engaged in devotional self-flagellation. |