Waves of Shiite pilgrims descend on Iraqi city

Baghdad blast kills 7
As pilgrims began leaving Baghdad on Saturday, a car bomb exploded near the city’s most important Shiite shrine, killing seven people and wounding dozens as authorities imposed new security restrictions to prevent attacks on Shiite pilgrims ahead of major religious ceremonies south of the capital.

The blast occurred around noon in busy Oruba Square, a major commercial area in the Kazimiyah district of Baghdad about 500 yards from the twin-domed shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim, an 8th century Shiite religious leader who is buried there.

An official at the neighborhood hospital said seven people were killed and 30 wounded, including two children. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to release the information.

No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell on Sunni religious extremists who consider Shiites as heretics and collaborators with the Americans. Shiites dominate the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

The blast gouged a small hole in the street, shattered windows in nearby shops and restaurants and set three cars ablaze.

“It was a big explosion,” said shop owner Hussein Abdul-Rahman, who suffered minor shrapnel wounds. “I rushed to the scene and saw some dead and injured. Then I felt blood oozing from my back. Then rescuers took me to the hospital for treatment.”

Despite the force of the blast, casualties were relatively low because many people were indoors during the broiling noontime heat or had left for Karbala.

Execution site discovered
The U.S. military, meanwhile, announced the grisly discovery of an execution site in the Arab Jabour district, a Sunni Arab area just south of Baghdad where al-Qaida in Iraq is known to operate.

During a 24-hour operation on Tuesday and Wednesday, soldiers found human skulls, decomposing bodies in a pit and bones wrapped in bloody clothes, U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said in a statement. Troops found blood spatter in a nearby building and other signs that executions had taken place there.

The troops took fire as they entered the area and shot back, killing one suspected insurgent, Garver said. Troops discovered homemade bombs and a weapons cache including trigger wires, he added. Eight suspects were taken into custody.

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