Nabil al-Jurani / AP

Security forces and people inspect the scene of a bomb attack on Shiite pilgrims, killing and wounding scores of people near the southern port city of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, Saturday, Jan. 14. It was the latest in a series of attacks during Shiite religious commemorations that threaten to further increase sectarian tensions just weeks after the U.S. withdrawal.

Bomb attack on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq kills 50, wounds 100

msnbc.com news services report:

Majid Hussein, a government employee, was one of the pilgrims heading to the shrine. He said people began running away in panic when they heard a loud explosion.

"I saw several dead bodies and wounded people, including children on the ground asking for help. There were also some baby strollers left at the blast site," he said.

"A terrorist wearing a police uniform and carrying fake police I.D. managed to reach a police checkpoint and blew himself up among police and pilgrims," a police official at the scene of the bombing said.

Related content: In the PhotoBlog series "Iraqi voices", Iraqis reflect on their lives after eight years of U.S. presence in their country.

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