24 January 2011 Iraq bombings

24 January 2011 Iraq bombings
Location Baghdad and Karbala, Iraq
Date 24 January 2011 (UTC+03:00)
Target Shia pilgrims celebrating Arba'een
Attack type
Car bombs, roadside bombings
Deaths At least 27
Non-fatal injuries
At least 78

The 24 January 2011 Iraq bombings were a series of four explosions, two in Baghdad and two in Karbala, which killed at least 27 people and wounded at least 78 more.

Two blasts, caused by roadside bombs, occurred in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the first of which killed two people including an Iraqi brigadier general.[1] The second explosion caused at least eight injuries.[2]

In Karbala, where Shia pilgrims were marking Arba'een, two car bombs detonated a few hours apart. The first bomb targeted a bus terminal to the east of Karbala and killed seven people, injuring more than double that, while the second hit south of the city and claimed 18 lives.

The attacks came the week after the January 2011 Iraq suicide attacks, which killed at least 133 people including 56 in Karbala.[2] The attacks were located near the blasts that occurred on 20 January, and have been blamed on the delay in naming Iraq's new defence and interior ministers.[3]

Several theories arose as a result of the attacks, including that the attacks could be the work of Saddam Hussein's former Ba'ath Party members, or that they were an attempt to reduce confidence in the security arrangements for an Arab League summit in March.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Leland, John (24 January 2011). "Bombings Continue Campaign Against Shiite Pilgrims in Karbala". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Two bomb blasts strike pilgrims in Iraq city of Karbala". BBC News Online. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  3. Parker, Ned; Jaff, Salar (24 January 2011). "Iraq car bombings: At least 22 killed in car bombings". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2011.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.