2003 Karbala bombings

2003 Karbala bombings
Location	Karbala, Iraq
Date	December 27, 2003
Target	Coalition military barracks
Attack type	suicide bombings
Deaths	5 Bulgarian soldiers 2 Thai soldiers 7 Iraqi policemen 5 Iraqi civilians
Injured	200+ injured (including 36 coalition soldiers)
Perpetrators	Tawhid al-Jihad

The 2003 Karbala bombings consisted of four suicide attacks on the coalition military barracks in Karbala, Iraq, 110 kilometres (68 mi) south of Baghdad on December 27, 2003.

The attackers targeted two coalition bases and a downtown Iraqi police station where U.S. military police were stationed. All of the attacks occurred within a 20-minute span.

The attacks

Bulgarian guards at the perimeter of their forward base at the University of Karbala shot the suicide bomber as the gasoline tanker bore down on the front entrance. Nevertheless, the bomb exploded about 50 feet from the base's main building, killing four Bulgarian soldiers and wounding 27 others, one of whom died from his injuries on the next day. The Bulgarian Army chief of staff, Nikola Kolev, said that they expected attacks because Karbala had been suspiciously peaceful.

In the attack on the Thai Army camp the bomber killed two Thai soldiers and wounded five others when he rammed his vehicle into the walls. The Thais were confident enough about their security that they planned to send 200 Thai civilians to visit their troops.

In the double attack on the police station seven Iraqi policemen and five civilians were killed. Five American soldiers were among the wounded.

See also

• 2004 Karbala and Najaf bombings
• 5 January 2006 Iraq bombings
• 2007 Karbala bombings
• 2008 Karbala bombing
• 24 January 2011 Iraq bombings
• 2011 Karbala bombing

External links

• Bulgarian soldiers refuse duty in Iraq after deadly attack
• Karbala attacks kill 12, wound dozens
• Police station and 2 bases hit in southern city
• 13 killed, 172 wounded in coordinated attacks in Iraq