suicide bombing 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 ...

occurred in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

on 24 November 2016 when a truck bomb exploded at a petrol station in

Hillah Hillah ( ar, ٱلْحِلَّة ''al-Ḥillah''), also spelled Hilla, is a city in central Iraq on the Hilla branch of the Euphrates River, south of Baghdad. The population is estimated at 364,700 in 1998. It is the capital of Babylon Province a ...

, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from southern

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, killing at least 125 people and injuring many others.

Shia 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, mos ...

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

s were en route back to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

after the 2016 Arba'een Pilgrimage. Besides Iranians, people from

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 han ...

and

Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates, about south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. ...

were also killed in the attack. The

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

claimed responsibility for it.

Bombing

The pilgrims were on their way back to Iran from the holy city of

Karbala 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 Governor ...

after participating in the annual

Arba'een Pilgrimage The Arba'een Pilgrimage, or the Arba'een Walk or Karbala Walk, is the world's largest annual public gathering. It is held at Karbala, Iraq at the end of the 40-day mourning period following Ashura, the religious ritual for the commemoration of ...

. According to a police official, five buses filled with pilgrims stopped by a famous restaurant, next to a petrol station, burst into flames after the detonation of an "explosives-laden truck". According to a report, the bomb had been packed with 500 liters of

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...

. Reportedly, the Hillah suicide truck bombing happened a day after dozens of bombings in and around Baghdad by the

in which 31 people were killed and over 100 injured. There were some attacks during Arba'een this year, but these were insignificant compared to incidents in previous years. Despite ongoing dangers, people from around the world continued their journey to Karbala. According to Iraqi officials, approximately three million Iranians visited Iraq, making them the largest contingent of foreigners at the Arba'een Pilgrimage in 2016.

Perpetrator

The

claimed responsibility for the attack.

Motivation

After the offensive launched on 17 October to liberate the last remaining city in Iraq under ISIL control,

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 larg ...

Daesh An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

intensified their attacks aiming to weaken the Mosul offensive.

Reactions

* – Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi condemned the attack and said that Iran would continue to support Iraq's "relentless fight against terrorism." Furthermore, in a message, Iranian President

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

criticized the attack stating that it is a sign of frustration among the terrorists who could not bear the peaceful rituals managed and observed in the city of Karbala during the current Arbaeen pilgrimage. * – The

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

issued a statement that read it condemns the attack saying the bombing "was clearly intended to stoke sectarian tensions." * Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani condemned the Hilla attack and warned that the perpetrators would receive a response to their crimes on the battleground at Mosul.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillah suicide truck bombing 2016 murders in Iraq 21st-century mass murder in Iraq ISIL terrorist incidents in Iraq Islamic terrorist incidents in 2016 Mass murder in 2016 November 2016 crimes in Asia November 2016 events in Iraq Suicide car and truck bombings in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2016 Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq Hillah

Bombing

Perpetrator

Motivation

Reactions

See also

References