Death toll in Iraq terror bombings rises to over 180

The death toll in the terror outrages in Karbala and Baghdad yesterday morning has risen to 182, following the bloodiest day Iraq has seen since the end of the war last May.

Almost 500 people were injured after coordinated attacks were made against Shi'ite Muslims who were observing the festival of Ashura - the holiest day of the sect's calendar.

In Baghdad, around 70 people were killed in the capital's predominantly Shia Kadhimiya neighbourhood when four blasts – thought to be from suicide bombers – rocked a mosque filled with worshippers.

Kerbala, which is situated around 50 miles south of Baghdad, was hit by six explosions, killing at least 112 people.

One suicide bomber is known to have been intercepted before detonating his explosives and six people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.

It is widely believed that followers of Osama bin Laden's number two, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, were responsible for the outrages.

Both attacks occurred at around 10am local time, and both involved suicide bombs and mortar-launched missiles.

Immediately after the bombings in Baghdad and Karbala, many Shi'ites blamed the US for not providing better security.

However, in a broadcast to the Iraqi people, US administrator Paul Bremer vowed that the coalition would not "abandon" them.

During his broadcast, Mr Bremer said that the attacks were launched as part of "an effort to provoke sectarian violence among Muslims. We know they chose this day so that they could kill as many innocents as possible".

The attacks will not stop the governing council from signing the Transitional Administrative Law - the Iraq's interim constitution – later this week, Mr Bremer said.

The White House has said that, in spite of terrorism, Iraq will "continue its march toward democracy".

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "The stakes are very high in Iraq. There are foreign terrorists who are in Iraq who seek to undermine a free and peaceful future for the Iraqi people."

At a press conference in Downing Street yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair, joined by King Abdullah of Jordan, condemned the attacks as "cruel and evil".

He said: "… the purpose of those people who have killed them in such a cruel and evil way is to try and set the different religious communities in Iraq against each other, to destroy the progress in Iraq, to cause the maximum amount of dissent, and division and hatred, when the vast majority of people in Iraq want to build an Iraq that is stable and free and prosperous and democratic for the future."

(gmcg)