Iraq civilians killed and injured in Basra explosion.

A suicide bombing using an explosives belt left a number of civilians, including women and children, among killed and wounded western Al Basra, a police source announced on Saturday.

“A suicide bomber blew up himself, this morning, targeting civilians heading to Al Khotwa mosque, western Al Basra,” the source told Alsumaria news adding that the explosion led to the death and injury of an undetermined number of civilians including women and children. 

“Ambulance cars rushed to the incident site and transported wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment and corpses to the department of forensic medicine,” the source declared on condition of anonymity adding that a security force cordoned off the region and blocked all roads leading to it, the source told Alsumaria. 

Al Khotwa Mosque, situated near Al Basra city on the eastern entrance of Al Zubair District center, was the second mosque built following Al Masjid Al Nabawi in the city of Medina, and the first one to be built outside KSA. Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb prayed, during Al Jamal battle in 36 AH, at Al Khotwa mosque which bears a significant importance for Shiites who mass up by thousands in the mosque on religious occasions.