CAIRO, June 25. /ITAR-TASS /. Three Iranian pilgrims were killed and 15 injured today in a suicide attack, carried out 50 km south of Baghdad. According to the representative of the Interior Ministry of Iraq, the bus with Iranian pilgrims on the way from the Iraqi capital to the Muslim holy Shiite city of Karbala, was blown up by a powerful explosive device.
The incident occurred when tens of thousands of Shiites, including guests from neighboring Iran, have been going to Karbala to mark the birthday of Mehdi, the last of the 12 Shiite imams.
On Monday, in a series of terrorist attacks carried out in Shiite areas of Baghdad, were killed 40 people, another 140 were injured. Iraqi Sunni extremists often use for their criminal acts Shiite religious ceremonies, where large numbers of believers take part.