Iraq: At Least 9 Martyred, 6 Injured in Minibus Bombing outside Holy Karbala

By Staff, Agencies

Iraqi security officials announced that an explosion in a minibus on Friday outside the Shia holy city of Karbala has claimed the lives of at least nine people.

According to the officials, six passengers were also wounded in the blast, which occurred as the bus was passing through an Iraqi army checkpoint between Karbala and the town of al-Hilla.

The officials said all of the martyrs were civilians. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

It was not immediately clear whether a suicide bomber caused the explosion. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Iraq, however, declared victory over Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] in 2017, but the Takfiri outfit’s sleeper cells continue to wage an insurgency and carry out sporadic attacks across the country.