The 14 January 2012 Basra bombing was a paramilitary attack in the

port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...

, Iraq. A bomb, seemingly targeting

Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

marking the festival of Arbain, killed at least 53 people and left more than 130 injured.

Attacks

The bomb exploded among crowds of Shia pilgrims at a

security checkpoint Civilian checkpoints or security checkpoints are distinguishable from border or frontier checkpoints in that they are erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary control. Civilian checkpoints have been employed w ...

in the city. The pilgrims were passing through the checkpoint on their way to a major Shia mosque in the

Az Zubayr Az Zubayr ( ar, الزبير) is a city in and the capital of Al-Zubair District, part of the Basra Governorate of Iraq. The city is just south of Basra. The name can also refer to the old Emirate of Zubair. The name is also sometimes written Al ...

district, about 20km (12 miles) south-west of Basra. There were conflicting reports about the cause of the explosion, with some saying that a

suicide bomb A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

er dressed as a police officer managed to reach the checkpoint after showing a fake ID card. Other reports blamed a powerful roadside bomb that had been planted close to the road. The attack occurred on the last of the 40 days of Arbain, where hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims visit the city of

Kerbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

and other holy sites. Security forces sealed off the main hospital after the attack, fearing further violence. Following the attack, the Iraqi military "intensified" its security around the country. 30,000 Iraqi soldiers were deployed in Karbala to protect pilgrims. Officials believe at least 16 million pilgrims have passed through the city of Karbala in the past two weeks. Other attacks took place throughout Iraq that day. Roadside bombings in

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

Baqubah Baqubah ( ar, بَعْقُوبَة; BGN: Ba‘qūbah; also spelled Baquba and Baqouba) is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated populati ...

and

Al-Karmah Al-Karmah, also sometimes transliterated as Karma, Karmah, or Garma ( Iraqi Arabic: الگرمة), is a city in central Iraq, 16 km (10 mi) northeast of Fallujah in the province of Al Anbar. U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq For mo ...

left one policeman dead and at least nine people injured. A car bombing targeting a police patrol in

Tikrit Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac language, Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Gover ...

killed a bystander and injured two officers.

Responsibility

Ali Ghanim, the chief of the security committee in Basra, said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. He said, "There was a man who was holding a box and giving food to people, and one of our security officers found him suspicious and went to search the box and the man blew himself up". So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basra bombing Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) 2012 murders in Iraq Mass murder in 2012 January 2012 events in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2012 Suicide bombings in Iraq Shia–Sunni sectarian violence Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq Military history of Basra

Attacks

Responsibility

See also

References