Three coordinated suicide bombers attacked the Bratha mosque in Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 78 people and injuring at least 154 more. Authorities say that one of the bombers was a woman.
The Bratha mosque is one of the most important Shi'ite mosques in Baghdad. The attacks took place during the traditional Friday call for prayer.
The attack on the mosque is certain to further inflame tensions between Sunnis and Shi'ites. The two groups have been locked in sectarian violence in recent months with a large increase since the attack on the Golden Dome shrine in Samara on February 22.
The three bombers did coordinate their attacks. Apparently, the female suicide bomber struck first, detonating her belt as worshippers were leaving Friday afternoon prayers. The two other bombers entered the mosque when the confusion from the first bomb was at its height.
Reports on the actual death toll have varied significantly. The official web site of the mosque said that there were 100 dead and as many as 700 people injured.
Rescue workers are searching through the rubble of the mosque in an attempt to locate survivors and/or body parts. The official death toll is expected to rise.
Sectarian violence inside Iraq continue and they further hamper efforts to form a unity government.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq warned that 'a sectarian war in Iraq' could easily involve other nations in the area, 'affecting the entire region.'
'That's a possibility if we don't do everything we can to make this country work,' Khalilzad said. 'What's happening here has huge implications for the region and the world.'
The United States and most Iraqis can only hope that a civil war does not break out.
