Iraq: Rickshaw bomb kills two

A BOMB hidden in an rickshaw killed two Muslim Shiite pilgrims and wounded 26 others in a city south of Baghdad yesterday, according to Iraqi officials.

Two police officers said the bomb exploded early yesterday morning while the three-wheeled vehicle was waiting for commuters near the holy city of Karbala.

A doctor in Karbala later confirmed the casualty figures.

Shiite pilgrims are celebrating the birthday of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th and so-called hidden imam, who disappeared in the ninth century.

Pilgrims are often targeted by insurgents looking to stoke sectarian violence.

Karbala is about 55 miles south of Baghdad.