Attacks against Shiite Muslims increase in Iraq

NBC News — Bombings targeting Shiite Muslims killed dozens of people thursday in two cities south of Baghdad. Back-to-back explosions in a commercial area of Hillah killed more than two dozen people. Militants detonated a roadside bomb followed by a car bomb when rescuers arrived at the blast scene. Earlier, a bomb inside a parked car exploded at one of the gates to the city of Karbala. At least six people died and more than a dozen were injured. The bombing took place near the Shrine of Imam Hussein.

Many attacks against Shiite Muslims have taken place recently as Shiites commemorate the anniversary of Imam Hussein's seventh century death. The grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and his brother, Imam Abbas, are buried in Karbala, one of the holiest cities in Shiite Islam. Sunni militants target Shiite religious ceremonies because they view Shiite Muslims as heretics. No one has claimed responsibility for thursday's attacks.