60 Killed in Baghdad Double Bombing

Back-to-back suicide bombings killed 60 and injured at least 125 today outside the most important Shiite shrine in Baghdad, the AP reports. The bombers detonated explosive belts within minutes of each other near the tomb of a prominent Shiite saint, shortly before the start of Friday prayers, as worshipers streamed in to the mosque, a key site for Shiite pilgrims; 25 Iranian pilgrims were among those killed in the blast.

The shrine has been a favored target of insurgents, most recently in early April when the a bomb left in a plastic bag near the shrine killed seven people and wounded 23. Today’s blasts are the latest in a series of high-profile attacks blamed on Sunni insurgents. Yesterday, nearly 80 people were killed in two suicide bombings in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than a year. (More Iraq stories.)