BUSHRA JUHI
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD – A female suicide bomber walking among Shiite pilgrims in northern Baghdad detonated an explosives belt on Monday, killing at least 41 people and wounding more than 100, officials said.
The bombing was the first major strike this year against pilgrims making their way to the southern city of Karbala to mark a Shiite holy day. It raised fears of an escalation of attacks when the pilgrimage culminates on Friday.
The bomber hid the explosives underneath an abaya – a black cloak worn from head to toe by women – as she joined a group of pilgrims on the outskirts of the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Shaab, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad’s top military spokesman.