WRAP Suicide bomber targets Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad ADDS injured in hospital, coffin

(1 Feb 2010) SHOTLIST QUALITY AS INCOMING 1. Exterior of al-Kindi Teaching Hospital where injured from the blast at Shiite-dominated neighbourhood of Shaab where taken 2. Mid of sign reading (Arabic) ''''al-Kindi Teaching Hospital'''' 3. Ambulance driving toward hospital 4. Zoom in to hospital 5. Wide of injured being unloaded from police vehicle with people and policemen standing around 6. Various of injured man walking outside hospital 7. Ambulance leaving hospital, AUDIO: Siren 8. Top shot of Shiite pilgrims heading to southern holy city of Karbala 9. Pilgrims on road with military vehicles escorting them 10. Mid of pilgrims 11. Military vehicle parked as pilgrims walking past 12. Various of Shiite pilgrims walking 13. Pilgrim carrying religious banner and walking in area where the blast occurred 14. Various of policemen searching pilgrims 15. Wide of the area where the blast occurred 16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Policeman, no name given: ''''We have evacuated so many bodies. Question: What has happened? Answer: A female suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt among pilgrims, because there was no proper search.'''' 17. Wide of the area where the blast occurred 18. Tent set up by side of road for pilgrims to rest 19. Shiite pilgrims gathered at the site 20. Wide exterior of al-Kindi Teaching Hospital 21. Close of sign 22. Injured on stretcher being brought to hospital 23. Various of injured in hospital wards 24. Family with injured child leaving hospital 25. Mid of mother showing bandage on child''s back 26. Close of child''s face 27. Mid of coffin on roof of minibus 28. Minibus with coffin driving away STORYLINE A female suicide bomber walking among Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad detonated an explosives belt on Monday, killing at least 46 people and wounding more than 122, officials said. The bombing was the first major strike this year against pilgrims making their way to the southern city of Karbala to mark a Shiite holy day. It came as security officials warned of a possible increase in attacks by insurgents using new tactics to bypass bomb-detection methods. The bombing raises fears of an escalation of attacks as hundreds of thousands of Shiites head by Friday to the southern holy city of Karbala to mark the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure. The bomber hid the explosives underneath an abaya - a black cloak worn from head to toe by women - as she joined a group of pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad''s Shiite-dominated neighbourhood of Shaab, a top military spokesman said. The bomber set off the blast as she lined up with other women to be searched by female security guards at a security checkpoint just inside a rest tent, he said. After clearing the security check, the women pilgrims were served water and sherbet, a police official said. Another police official said 46 were killed and 122 were wounded. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media. Despite an overall decline in violence in Iraq, al-Qaida and other Sunni extremists have routinely targeted pilgrims in an attempt to stoke sectarian strife and weaken the Shiite-dominated government. The vast numbers of pilgrims and the distances many of them must travel at predictable times of the year make it all but impossible to guarantee their safety against extremist groups. The pilgrims targeted on Monday were walking from the northeast Diyala province and other areas north of Baghdad, police said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...