By Ibrahim Salih
BAGHDAD (AA): At least 40 Iraqi pilgrims were killed in a double bomb attack in Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, according to Iraq’s foreign ministry.
Two bomb blasts went off near the Bab al-Saghir cemetery in the Bab Masala area of Damascus on Saturday.
According to local media, at least 46 people were killed in the bombings.
“Initial reports say 40 Iraqis were martyred and 120 others injured in the attacks,” ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said in a statement.
He said the bombings targeted Iraqi pilgrims visiting Shia shrines in the area.
A roadside bomb detonated as a bus passed and a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Bab al-Saghir cemetery, which houses several Shiite mausoleums that draw pilgrims from around the world, according to the SOHR.
A Lebanon-based TV station, al-Mayadeen, reported the bombings had targeted buses transporting pilgrims to the cemetery.
There are 11 Shiite shrines in Bab al-Saghir cemetery, usually a visiting spot for Shiite visitors.
[Archive photo: Suicide bombing in Sayyida Zaynabiyya district of Damascus on 11 June 2016. Photgraph by AA]