The 2008 Karbala bombing occurred on 17 March 2008 in

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 ...

, Iraq. The

suicide bomb A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, #Terminology , see below) is a deliberate Strike (attack) , attack in which the perpetrators suicide , knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are ...

detonated outside a cafe near the shrine. The bombings killed at least 22 people and injured 30. The dead include seven Iranians.

Background

Karbala is a city in central Iraq, south of Baghdad. It is home to the Imam Husayn Shrine, one of the holiest sites of Shiite Islam. The city had seen several other suicide bombs in the past, including one in April 2007 that killed about 50 people. There were two other insurgent attacks the day of the bombing, including a mortar attack and several suicide bombs, both in Baghdad. The attacks coincided with a visit by US Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

Perpetrator

No organization has claimed responsibility. Iraqi officials suspected that insurgents affiliated with the

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ') was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an ...

carried out the bombing. The governor of Karbala province said the bomber had been a woman but gave few other details.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karbala 2008 Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) 2008 murders in Iraq Mass murder in 2008 Suicide bombings in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2008 Karbala in the Iraq War Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq March 2008 in Iraq March 2008 crimes in Asia Improvised explosive device bombings in Karbala 2008 building bombings Suicide bombings in 2008 Attacks on coffeehouses and cafés in Iraq Building bombings in Iraq