At least seven Iranian pilgrims killed in suicide bombing in Iraq

Iraqi officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday, April 11, that at least ten people, including seven Iranian pilgrims, were killed in a suicide attack on a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims in the Al-Taji area north of Baghdad. The bus driver and two Iranian women were among the deceased. At least 14 others were injured in the attack. The pilgrims were returning from Samarra. Earlier, the IRNA news agency reported the death of one Iranian pilgrim and the injury of nine others. The Iraqi police declared the attack on the bus carrying Iranian pilgrims as a suicide operation. The Deputy of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization also stated that "comprehensive investigations" regarding the number of casualties and injuries from this incident are ongoing. Nasser Khodrnejad said that the vehicle carrying Iranian pilgrims was traveling on a route that the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization had declared off-limits. He added, "Preliminary investigations have shown that this caravan was not part of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization's caravans and had traveled freely to the holy sites." According to Mr. Khodrnejad, the bomb exploded on the route of the vehicle carrying Iranian pilgrims towards Samarra. Meanwhile, according to ISNA news agency, Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization had removed Samarra from the list of travel destinations for Iranian pilgrimage caravans since the escalation of attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Iraq, but "free groups" often travel to Samarra regardless of these warnings. Samarra, located 110 kilometers north of Baghdad, is predominantly a Sunni city, where some holy sites for Shiites are located. In recent years, several Iranian pilgrims have been killed in bomb explosions in Iraq. Iraqi officials reported the death of "16 Iranian pilgrims" following the explosion of a car bomb in a town north of Baghdad on June 7, 2013. Just two weeks before this incident, another group of Iranian pilgrims was targeted in Samarra, resulting in the deaths of five and injuries to 17 others. Concurrently with the travel of Shiites, including Iranian Shiites, for the Arbaeen ceremony in Iraq, an explosion of six mortars on Friday, December 21, 2014, in the city of Karbala resulted in the death of "one person" and injuries to "four others." None of the deceased or injured were Iranian. In this context, Iraq: 17 million Shiite pilgrims have entered Karbala for the Arbaeen ceremony. At least 1.2 million Iranian pilgrims have traveled to Iraq for Arbaeen. The changing battlefield of "proxy wars"; the war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iranian crisis. Two weeks after a complete blackout, the time for reconnecting the internet in Iran is still "uncertain." The shadow of war over Tehran; "Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran." Trump says if the Islamic Republic carries out an assassination against him, it will be "wiped off the face of the earth." A senior U.S. official: The Trump administration is closely monitoring the case of Reza Valizadeh. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iranian crisis.