Bomb kills two, wounds 26 in Iraq

A bomb hidden in a rickshaw killed two Muslim Shiite pilgrims and wounded 26 others south of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said today.

A bomb hidden in a rickshaw killed two Muslim Shiite pilgrims and wounded 26 others south of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said Saturday.

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Two Police officers said the bomb exploded early Saturday, while the three-wheeled vehicle was waiting for commuters near the holy city of Karbala.

A doctor in Karbala has confirmed the casualty figures.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.

Shiite pilgrims are celebrating the birthday of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the twelfth and so-called hidden Imam, an Islamic leader, who disappeared in the ninth century.

Karbala is about 90 kilometres south of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.