IRAQ: CAR BOMB STRIKES SHIITE HOLY CITY, KILLING 3
Baku, March 6 (AZERTAC) A car bomb exploded near a bus for pilgrims in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Saturday, killing at least three people, including two Iranians, on the eve of key national elections, officials said.
Blasts in other Iraqi cities have killed dozens this week, underscoring warnings that insurgents would attempt to disrupt the vote with violence. An al-Qaida front group issued a statement on Friday saying those who leave their homes on election day risk attack.
A group of Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims were waiting to board a bus after visiting a famous shrine when the blast occurred about 100 yards (meters) away, said Ahmed Fakhir, an Iraqi translator who was with the Iranian pilgrims.
"I was shocked by the scene, pools of blood and people lying on the ground soaked with their own blood," said Fakhir, 21, from a hospital where he was being treated for shrapnel wounds.
The explosion destroyed two buses, blew a small crater in the ground and shattered nearby shop and hotel windows.
Other news in this section
