At least 40 killed in twin bombing at Damascus cemetery

At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 120 more were injured as they traveled by bus on a pilgrimage to Bab al-Saghir cemetery in the Syrian capital city of Damascus. Photo by Syrian Arab News Agency/EPA

March 11 (UPI) — Dozens of Iraqis were killed and more than 100 others were injured during a pilgrimage when twin blasts struck a cemetery in Syria.

At least 40 Iraqis were killed and 120 were injured in the attack on the Bab al-Saghir cemetery in the capital city of Damascus, where Shia Muslim mausoleums are housed, Iraq’s foreign ministry said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said the attackers used improvised explosive devices in the attack on the pilgrims who were traveling to the “holy shrines” by bus.

Bab al-Saghir is one of Syria’s largest and oldest cemeteries and houses the remains of the descendants and companions of the Prophet Mohammed.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni terror groups such as the Islamic State have attacked Shiite shrines in the past.

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