The apparent sectarian attack in southern Iraq yesterday cast a pall over the climax of a Shiite pilgrimage that draws hundreds of thousands from around the world.

The attack on Shiite devotees on the outskirts of the port city of Basra, which left 137 wounded, came with Iraq mired in a political row that has pitted the Shiite-led government against the main Sunni-backed bloc and stoked sectarian tensions less than a month after US forces completed their pullout.

The violence was the latest in a spate of attacks against Shiite pilgrims in the two weeks leading to the conclusion of Arbaeen, which marks 40 days after the Ashura anniversary commemorating the slaying of Imam Hussein, one of Shiite Islam’s most revered figures, by the armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.

The bombing killed 53 people and wounded 137, according to Riyadh Abdulamir, head of Basra province’s health department. He said women and children were among the casualties, but did not give further details.

The death toll was the highest since attacks on Shiites in Baghdad and southern Iraq killed 70 people on December 5.

The attacker, who had been distributing cake and other food to pilgrims walking to the Khutwa Imam Ali, a site on the outskirts of Basra venerated by believers for its associations with one of the key figures of their faith, blew himself up near a security checkpoint.

“I saw a soldier take hold of the attacker to take him to the officer in charge,” said Kadhim Nasser, who was in charge of a nearby rest stop for pilgrims.

“As he was pushing him, something happened and the soldier fell to the ground.”

“Immediately, he blew himself up. When he did that, women and children were passing by. I saw dozens of women and children among the wounded,” said Mr Nasser.

Pilgrims in southern Iraq who cannot visit the central shrine city of Karbala to mark Arbaeen typically make the shorter trip to Khutwa Imam Ali, which lies around 12 kilometres west of Basra.

Hundreds of thousands did make it to Karbala yesterday amid massive security in face of the Sunni insurgent threat.

Officials said 15 million pilgrims have passed through the city in the past two weeks leading up to the end of the commemorations, including some 500,000 from outside Iraq.

Waves of mourners swamped Hussein’s shrine, parading their remorse for not defending him by beating their heads and chests in rituals of self-flagellation.

Sad songs blared from loudspeakers throughout the city and black flags fluttered alongside pictures of Hussein and his half-brother Imam Abbas, both of whom are buried in the city.

“Those people who are carrying out their attacks are idiots and stupid if they think they will stop us from walking to Karbala,” said 45-year-old Mehdi Hussein, who was on his way back to Baghdad after completing the rituals.

He said the example of Nazhan Faleh, a Sunni Arab army captain who gave his life to protect Shiite pilgrims from a suicide bomber earlier this month, had “strengthened our unity”.

Karbala governor Amal al-Din al-Har said while services had so far gone smoothly, the province’s power and road networks were overwhelmed by the sheer number of pilgrims.

Some 35,000 police and troops were deployed to provide security throughout the rituals, with a further two brigades added to protect pilgrims heading home, said Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanimi, who commands forces across central Iraq.

Among them were 500 policewomen charging with assisting in checkpoint searches, as well as sonar detectors and sniffer dogs.

Lieutenant General Ghanimi said no incidents had been reported in Karbala.

Provincial health department spokesman Jamal Mehdi said that hospitals in the shrine city had treated 20,000 pilgrims but that there had been no deaths.

This year is the first time Iraqi troops have been solely charged with security for Arbaeen since the US-led invasion of 2003. American troops, who previously helped with surveillance and reconnaissance, completed their withdrawal from Iraq last month.

The seventh century battle near Karbala is at the heart of the historical division between Islam’s Sunni and Shiite sects.

Now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated regime barred the vast majority of Ashura and Arbaeen commemorations.

Shiites make up around 15 per cent of Muslims worldwide. They represent the majority populations in Iraq, Iran and Bahrain and form significant communities in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia.

Couriermail

The Kabul bomb was the deadliest in the capital since 2008, and punctured any lingering sense of optimism from a conference on Monday where Western allies made firm but not specific promises to support Afghanistan after troops leave in 2014.

Bodies and blood were scattered down a street in the heart of old Kabul where a crowd of hundreds had gathered to mark the festival of Ashura, with chanting, and self-flagellation. At least 55 were killed and 160 wounded, some critically.

Afghans, who have previously been spared the large-scale sectarian attacks that regularly trouble Iraq and neighboring Pakistan, now face the grim prospect of a new type of bloodshed being added to the dangers of daily life.

“This is the first time on such an important religious day in Afghanistan that terrorism of that horrible nature is taking place,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai told journalists in Germany, where the conference on Afghanistan’s future was held.

Outside a Kabul hospital, mourners cried near a pile of bloody clothes and shoes. A woman in a dark headscarf clutching a bloodstained sports shoe said her son, in his early 20s, had died. “They killed my son … this is his shoe,” she wailed.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kabul and northern Mazar-i-Sharif. The Taliban strongly condemned the bombings and blamed “invader enemies.”

Afghanistan has a history of tension and violence between Sunnis and the Shi’ite minority. But since the fall of the Taliban the country had avoided the large scale sectarian attacks that have troubled neighboring Pakistan.

“Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years and terrible things have happened, but one of the things that Afghans have been spared generally has been what appears to be this kind of very targeted sectarian attack,” said Kate Clark, from the Afghanistan Analysts Network.

“We don’t know who planted the bomb yet and it is dangerous to jump to conclusions but if it was Taliban, it marks something really serious, and dangerous, and very troubling.”

ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Shortly after the Kabul blast, a bicycle bomb exploded near the main mosque in northern Mazar-i-Sharif city, killing four, injuring 17 others, and sparking a fight at a university mosque where Shi’ites and Sunnis were both praying.

“Enemies wanted to target the Muslim precession attending prayer, but because of tight security they failed,” the city’s senior police detective Abdul Raoof Taj, told Reuters.

Four people were injured in the mosque scuffle, which broke out when worshippers began arguing about the blast.

Police later defused a mine, found near the site of the explosion and likely intended to target rescuers and security forces attending to victims of the bomb.

A motorbike bomb also appeared to be aimed at Shi’ite worshippers in southern Kandahar city, the Taliban’s spiritual home and centre of a strong push by NATO-led troops to push the insurgents out of their stronghold.

It exploded prematurely, injuring two policemen and three civilians, but causing no deaths.

“We cannot say for certain who the bomber’s target was, but it was probably the Ashura (ceremonies),” said Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq.

“We have 100 per cent security. The enemies cannot enter the prayer sites. With such actions they want to show they exist.”

The Shi’ite Muslim festival of Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Hussein in the battle of Karbala in Iraq in the year 680.

Ashura is the biggest event in the Shi’ite Muslim calendar, when large processions are vulnerable to militant attacks, including suicide bombings. Pakistan has deployed tens of thousands of paramilitary soldiers and police during Ashura.

Blood has spilled between Pakistan’s majority Sunni and minority Shi’ite militants for decades.

Sectarian strife has intensified since Sunni militants deepened ties with al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban insurgents after Pakistan joined the U.S.-led campaign against militancy after the September 11 attacks.

Reuters

Photo: Afghan men run away at the time of an explosion during a religious ceremony in the centre of Kabul on December 6, 2011. At least 30 people were killed in an explosion at a Kabul shrine where Shia Muslims were marking the Day of Ashura Tuesday, an AFP photographer saw. The blast came in the city centre where Shias had gathered to carry out religious rituals to mark the day, a public holiday in Afghanistan.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah was “here to stay” and would never compromise on its weapons.

The group’s weapons are a contentious issue in Lebanon. Hezbollah insists it needs to maintain its powerful arsenal to ward off any threat from Israel but the weapons also make it the most potent military force in Lebanon — far stronger than even the national army.

“We are growing in numbers, our training is getting better and our weapons are increasing,” Nasrallah said. “And for those who are betting that our weapons are rusting, we say that our weapons are being renewed.”

Nasrallah has rarely been seen in public since his Shiite Muslim group battled Israel in a monthlong war in 2006, fearing Israeli assassination. Since then, he has communicated with his followers and gives news conference mostly via satellite link.

But on Tuesday, the black-turbaned Nasrallah was seen walking through a throng of people in a southern Shiite stronghold in Beirut and then greeted crowds from the podium.

“I wanted to be with you for few minutes … to renew our pledge and for the world to hear us,” Nasrallah said.

His public appearance, he said, was a message to those who believe they can “threaten us,” he added, as many in the crowds shouted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

He then left the podium, smiling and telling tens of thousands of supporters he will reappear in few minutes on a giant screen for a longer speech. “See you in few minutes … don’t go away,” he joked to his followers before he left.

Nasrallah’s appearance is meant to portray confidence at a time of upheaval in the Middle East and particularly in Syria, which along with Iran is Hezbollah’s backer.

Syrians and Arabs around the region have in recent years elevated Nasrallah to the status of a nationalist hero after his guerrillas’ 2006 war with Israel.

Since the Syrian uprising, however, Syrians have unleashed their anger at Hezbollah over its blunt support for the regime of President Bashar Assad. Some protesters in Syria have set fire to the yellow flag of Hezbollah and pictures of Nasrallah.

Nasrallah reiterated his support for Assad’s regime on Tuesday, accusing the United States of seeking to destroy Syria “to make up for its defeat in Iraq.”

He accused some in the Syrian opposition of catering to U.S. agendas in Syria and the region, and called on protesters to realize that they were being “used” for the wider aim of striking at Assad’s regime for its support for Hezbollah and other anti-Israel groups in the region.

Ashoura is one of the holiest days of the Muslim Shiite calendar. It marks the anniversary of the death in the seventh century of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein. His death in a battle outside of the Iraqi city of Karbala sealed Islam’s historical Sunni-Shiite split, which still bedevils the Middle East.

ABC

Photo: Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah speaks to the crowd in a rare public appearance during a rally to mark the Muslim holy day of Ashoura, in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday Dec. 6, 2011. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has rarely been seen in public since his Shiite Muslim group battled Israel in a monthlong war in 2006, fearing Israeli assassination. Since then, he has communicated with his followers and gives news conference mostly via satellite link. Ashoura marks the anniversary of the death in the seventh century of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein. His death in a battle outside of the Iraqi city of Karbala sealed Islam’s historical Sunni-Shiite split, which still bedevils the Middle East. Ashoura is one of the holiest days of the Muslim Shiite calendar.

Tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters lined the streets of Beirut’s southern suburbs, holding pictures of Nasrallah and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to mark holy day of Ashura, responding in force to calls by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah .

Nasrallah urged his supporters during his speeches ( last night and this morning) to commemorate Ashura.

Crowds also gathered in mainly Shiite Muslim areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, raising pictures of Nasrallah and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Dressed uniformly in black, Shiite worshippers chanted slogans in support of the imam as well as Nasrallah in gender-segregated processions marked by strict organization and security measures by Hezbollah.

Ashura is commemorated by Shiite Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala ( 80 KM south of Baghdad , Iraq) on 10 Muharram in the Hijra ( Islamic) year 61 (October 10, 680 AD. Imam Hussein, was reportedly killed by the armies of the caliph Yazid.

Elsewhere in the region
Millions of Iranians, beating themselves with fists and chains, also marked the the day of Ashura on Thursday, a day after a suicide bomber killed 33 people taking part in a procession for Shiite Islam’s most revered mourning ritual.

Last year’s Ashura celebrations were overshadowed by the killing in Tehran of eight opposition demonstrators trying to keep alive street protests against disputed official election results which gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a new term last June.

Iraq arrested 80 Al-Qaeda-linked militants a general said were plotting attacks during Ashura ceremonies in Karbala, where the streets were crowded with 1.5 million pilgrims Thursday.

The arrests underscored fears of violence during the 10-day rituals in the shrine city that culminate on Friday, in a key test for Iraq’s security forces ahead of a complete withdrawal of American troops in a year.

Like their Shi’ite brethren across the Middle East Hundreds of black-clad Shi’ites in the small Gulf town of Qatif, in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province, rose early to join once-forbidden processions to mark the day of Ashura.

Six suspected suicide bombers were arrested from two places in Pakistan and a huge cache or arms, including suicide jackets, recovered from them, ahead of the processions to mark the day of Ashura in Pakistan.

Brigadier Shahzad, deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Frontier Corps, Thursday said the suspected terrorists were arrested from near the Chaman border while trying to cross over to the Pakistani side from Afghanistan.

“Initial investigations reveal that the suspects wanted to carry out suicide bombings at Ashura processions in Quetta,” he said.

Shiites make up around 15 percent of Muslims worldwide. They represent the majority populations in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain and form significant communities in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Here are some more pictures of the ceremonies in Lebanon( courtesy of Reuters)

Lebanon's Hezbollah members mourn Imam Hussein during a Muharram procession to mark Ashura in Beirut's suburbs December 16, 2010.

A Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim flagellates himself during a ceremony marking Ashura in Nabatiyeh, southern lebanon, December 16, 2010.

A Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim child is seen bleeding after he was cut on the head with a razor during a ceremony marking Ashura in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, December 16, 2010.

A Lebanese supporter of the Shi'ite Amal movement gashes his head with a sword during a Muharram procession to mark Ashura in Beirut, December 16, 2010.

The Ashoura speech once again served to remind us that Nasrallah has no intention of “Lebanonizing” Hezbollah; rather he is seeking to mold Lebanon in Hezbollah ’s image. It won’t work, and the secretary general, for the umpteenth time, has overestimated his capacities. Someone should have reminded him that Ashura is, above all, a commemoration of self-sacrifice, in other words a day to embrace humility. The Daily Star

Hezbollah members beat themselves during the Ashura ceremony held in Beirut's suburbs December 27, 2009

The Lebanese Muslim Shiites celebrated today The Day of Ashura, which is the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar which marks the climax of the remembrance of Muharram.

It is commemorated by Shiite Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala ( 80 KM south of Baghdad , Iraq) on 10 Muharram in the Hijra ( Islamic) year 61 (October 10, 680 AD.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told tens of thousands of supporters who gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs to commemorate Ashura. “We have entered a new phase in Lebanon: Reframing relations with Syria based on solid ground and cooperation.”

Here are some more pictures of the ceremonies in Lebanon( courtesy of Reuters)

Female members of Lebanon's Hezbollah chant slogan during the Ashura ceremony held in Beirut's suburbs December 27, 2009

Shi'ite Muslim women take photographs of bleeding men after they were cut on their heads with blades during a ceremony marking Ashura in Nabatieh, south Lebanon, December 27, 2009.

Female members of Lebanon's Hezbollah cry during the Ashura ceremony held in Beirut's suburbs December 27, 2009.

A Shi'ite Muslim boy taps his head with a blade to draw blood during a ceremony marking Ashura in Nabatieh, south Lebanon, December 27, 2009