Female Bomber Kills Dozens in Iraq

March 17, 2008— -- A female suicide bomber attacked a group ofShiite worshippers near a mosque in Karbala on Monday, killing atleast 39 people and wounding 54, officials said.

The worshippers were gathered at a sacred historical site abouthalf a mile from the Imam Hussein shrine, one of the holiest sitesfor Shiites.

Karim Khazim, the city's chief health official, said the 39 deadincluded seven Iranians.

Police said the attacker was a woman but provided no otherimmediate details. Karbala is located about 50 miles south ofBaghdad.

Police closed the area around the twin golden dome mosques andblocked all roads leading to the sites. The site includes tombs ofImam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson who was killed in aseventh-century battle, and his half brother, also a Shiite saint.

Ali Hassan, 30, a clothing merchant who was wounded in theblast, said he was standing near his stall "when I heard a bigexplosion and I felt strong fire throwing me in the air."

"The only thing I know is there was a big explosion and I sawbodies flying in the air," said Hassan Khazim, 36, who was woundedin the face. "All the tight security measures designed to protectus were in vain."

Separately, a roadside bomb killed two U.S. soldiers Monday asthey were clearing a route north of Baghdad, the military said. The violence came as Vice President Dick Cheney and Arizona Sen.John McCain made overlapping visits to the capital, touting recentsecurity gains and promising to uphold a long-term militarycommitment to the country so long as al-Qaida in Iraq is notdefeated.

Explosions also struck earlier Monday not far from Baghdad'sheavily fortified Green Zone, shortly after Cheney arrived.Helicopter gunships circled central Baghdad, but no other detailswere immediately available on the cause of the explosions.

McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for president whohas linked his political future to military success in Iraq, metMonday with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shortly before the Iraqileader began separate talks with Cheney.

Al-Maliki said he and the vice president discussed ongoingnegotiations over a long-term security agreement between the twocountries that would replace the U.N. mandate for foreign troopsset to expire at the end of the year.

"This visit is very important. It is about the nature of therelations between the two countries, the future of those relationsand the agreement in this respect," the prime minister toldreporters. "We also discussed the security in Iraq, thedevelopment of the economy and reconstruction and terrorism."

McCain stressed it was important to maintain the U.S. commitmentin Iraq, where a U.S.-Iraq military operation is under way to clearal-Qaida in Iraq from its last urban stronghold of Mosul, 225 milesnorthwest of Baghdad.

"We recognize that al-Qaida is on the run, but they are notdefeated," McCain said after meeting al-Maliki. "Al-Qaidacontinues to pose a great threat to the security and very existenceof Iraq as a democracy. So we know there's still a lot more of workto be done."

McCain, who arrived in Iraq on Sunday, told reporters that healso discussed with the Shiite leader the need for progress onpolitical reforms, including laws on holding provincial electionsand the equitable distribution of Iraq's oil riches.

At a news conference with U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen.David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, Cheney said that giventhe nearly 4,000 U.S. troop deaths and billions of dollars spent onthe war, it is very important that "we not quit before the job isdone."

Cheney credited reductions in violence to President Bush'sdecision to deploy an additional 30,000 troops to the war zone. Hesaid one of Bush's considerations in whether to draw back more thanthe 30,000 before he leaves office will be whether the U.S. cancontinue on a track toward political reconciliation and stabilityin Iraq.

"It would be a mistake now to be so eager to draw down theforce that we risk putting the outcome in jeopardy," said Cheney,on an unannounced visit to Iraq. "And I don't think we'll dothat."

Violence has dropped throughout the capital with the U.S. troopbuildup as well as a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and acease-fire by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Armymilitia.

The U.S. military has said attacks have fallen by about 60percent since last February.

McCain, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed ServicesCommittee, was accompanied by Sens. Joe Lieberman, an independent,and Republican Lindsey Graham, two top supporters of hispresidential ambitions. The weeklong trip will take McCain toIsrael, Britain and France.

Police said they found the bodies of three members of aU.S.-allied group fighting al-Qaida in Udaim, 70 miles north ofBaghdad. Members of the mostly Sunni groups have been increasinglytargeted by suspected al-Qaida members seeking to derail the recentsecurity gains.

A bomb in a parked car in Baghdad's central Karradahneighborhood killed three civilian bystanders and wounded nine,police said, while a separate roadside bomb in eastern Baghdadkilled one and wounded three others.