An Iraqi policeman threw himself on a suicide bomber on Wednesday, just as the man made moves to detonate his device. The 34 year old policeman was attempting to shield dozens of Shiite pilgrims from the deadly blast, which took five lives.
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Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are journeying to
Karbala, south west of Baghdad, to commemorate Imam Hussein, the
Prophet Mohammed’s grandson. The 40-day observance has become a
common target for acts of terror.
One particular group of pilgrims was making its way from Khales,
north east of the capital, when the suicide bomber targeted them.
Anticipating a devastating tragedy, 34-year-old policeman, Ayyub
Khalaf, threw himself on to the assailant, catching him in a
tight embrace, and shielding the pilgrims from the full impact of
the blast.
Khalaf was one of the five who died as the explosion ripped
through the bystanders.
“Ayyub was martyred while defending pilgrims, and his name
will be an eternal symbol because he saved the lives of dozens of
innocents,” Khalaf’s friend, Saad Naim told AFP, adding that
Khalaf himself was married with two children.
“We will take revenge on the Al-Qaeda terrorist
organization,” he stated, though Al-Qaeda, or any other
group, has not claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack.
Over 30 pilgrims dead as violence spills over into Thursday
Casualties from Wednesday’s assault were fewer given the
self-sacrifice. On Thursday, however, at least 36 pilgrims were
killed in three separate suicide bomb attacks.
One suicide bomber targeted a funeral tent, killing 16 and
wounding a further 31 in southern Baghdad's mainly Sunni
neighborhood of Doura. Nine others were killed near Latifiya, due
south of Doura, after a similar attack on a cluster of Shiite
pilgrims traveling from the north. Eleven were killed inside
Latifiya itself, according to Reuters.
Over 8,000 people have died in Iraq this year, in project Iraq
Body Count’s estimates –
making it the bloodiest year for the country since 2008. In
November alone, 948 people were killed as a result of violence in
the country.
The government places most blame with groups linked to the Iraqi
wing of Al-Qaeda. The civil war in neighboring Syria may have
also contributed to the violence, as Sunni rebels are acting
against a government allied to Shiite Iran.