{"id":271390,"date":"2016-11-24T17:39:37","date_gmt":"2016-11-24T17:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=271390"},"modified":"2016-11-24T17:39:37","modified_gmt":"2016-11-24T17:39:37","slug":"shia-pilgrims-among-more-than-80-killed-in-is-attack-in-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/11\/shia-pilgrims-among-more-than-80-killed-in-is-attack-in-iraq\/","title":{"rendered":"Shia pilgrims among more than 80 killed in IS attack in Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"
At least 80 people, many of them Shia pilgrims, have been killed in a truck bomb attack at a road stop in Iraq, a security official says.<\/p>\n
The blast struck at a petrol station and restaurant near Hilla, some 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad.<\/p>\n
Busloads of pilgrims had stopped there on their way home from commemorating Arbaeen in the holy city of Karbala. Many Iranians were among the dead.<\/p>\n
The jihadist group Islamic State said it carried out the attack.<\/p>\n
Dense smoke<\/strong><\/p>\n The attack happened close to the village of Shomali, 80 km (50 miles) south-east of Karbala.<\/p>\n Some reports say the suicide vehicle was parked, and the force of the blast completely destroyed the petrol station.<\/p>\n Pictures from the scene showed dense black smoke and the wreckage of five minibuses.<\/p>\n Provincial security chief Falah al-Radi told the BBC that Iranians were among the dead and wounded, and he feared the toll would rise.<\/p>\n