At least 44 people were killed in bomb attacks on markets yesterday. Police said they bore the hallmarks of sectarian attacks on Shia Muslims by al-Qa'ida Sunni militants.
A bomb in a small truck exploded in a market in Diwaniya, killing 40 people, and other blasts killed four more near Karbala, police said.
The Diwaniya bombing was near a Shia mosque where pilgrims gather on their way to Karbala to celebrate the birth of one of their most important imams, al-Mahdi.
Reuters
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