The 2004 Karbala and Najaf bombings were

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

ings that tore through a funeral procession in

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

and through the main bus station in nearby

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

—two

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

holy cities – on 19 December 2004. 66 people were killed and 191 wounded.

Perpetrators

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

's group

Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

('al-Qaeda in Iraq') said that the group was not responsible for these attacks.

References

2004 murders in Iraq Mosque bombings in Iraq Attacks on Shiite mosques in the Iraq War Najaf bombings December 2004 crimes in Asia December 2004 in Iraq Karbala and Najaf Mass murder in 2004 Najaf in the Iraq War Suicide bombings in 2004 Suicide car and truck bombings in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2004 Attacks on funerals Karbala in the Iraq War Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) 2004 building bombings Terrorist attacks attributed to al-Qaeda in Iraq 21st-century attacks on mosques {{Iraq-hist-stub