11 Pakistani pilgrims ambushed in Iraq
Staff Report

BAGDAD—Fourteen pilgrims from South Asia have been ambushed and killed on their way to the Shiite holy city of Karbala, Iraqi police have said. The pilgrims, 11 Pakistanis and three Indians, were dragged from their vehicle and shot dead, police said.
Police and hospital sources said the group was ambushed as it headed through Anbar province in western Iraq. It is thought the attack took place up to three days ago, but reports vary. The pilgrims reportedly had their hands and legs bound and had been shot at close range.
Conflicting accounts suggest women were among those killed. The pilgrims were understood to be on their way to Karbala, 80km (50 miles) south of Baghdad, to the shrine of Imam Hussein. It is visited by hundreds of thousands of Shiites every year. The ambush happened at a service station in the desert, about 160km (100 miles) west of Ramadi, which has been the scene of numerous killings in recent months, the BBC's James Shaw in Baghdad reports.
It is not clear what the motive for the attack was with some reports suggesting they were ambushed by robbers who stole their belongings. However, Shiite pilgrims, both Iraqi and foreign, have been frequent targets for attack. Last month, gunmen opened fire on Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, killing at least 20 people.
President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have condoled the death of Pakistani pilgrims in terrorist attack on a bus of pilgrim in Karbala.
The spokesperson of Foreign Ministry in a statement issued here on Saturday said that Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist act.
The Ministry immediately instructed our Ambassador in Jordan to establish contact with the Iraqi authorities to ascertain the number of Pakistani killed in the terrorist attack.
The embassy is also establishing contact with Pakistani survivors of the attack for their early evacuation, spokesperson further said.
The security situation in Iraq remains difficult. We advise Pakistanis intending to travel to Iraq to postpone their visit and those who are already there to take necessary precautionary measures, spokesperson added.
Pakistan on Saturday condemned the reported killing of 11 of its citizens in Iraq, and urged all Pakistanis intending to travel there to postpone their visits.
The slain pilgrims consisted of five women and six men from Pakistan and two Indians, police said. The Foreign Office confirmed the incident, but didn't say how many Pakistanis had been killed.
Pakistan's envoy to Jordan has been asked "to establish contact with the Iraqi authorities to ascertain the number of Pakistanis killed in the terrorist attack," the Foreign Office said in a statement here.
"The security situation in Iraq remains difficult. We advise Pakistanis intending to travel to Iraq to postpone their visit and those who are already there to take necessary precautionary measures," it said.