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Ramadan Bloodshed in Iraq

A bomb exploding at the entrance of a Shiite Muslim mosque, on the first day of Ramadan, killed at least 25 people and injured 87. The explosion hit the Husseiniyat Ibn al-Nama mosque, it was the second major bomb attack in a week in Hillah.

The blast also was the latest in a string of attacks by Sunni-led insurgents that have targeted Shiite Muslims in the lead-up to an Oct. 15 referendum on Iraq?s new constitution. The explosion, which police believed was caused by a planted explosive, detonated on the sidewalk next to the mosque?s entrance.

?While I was praying, I heard a huge blast and realized parts of the mosque were crumbling over my head,? says one survivor, Asaad Jassem, 35. ?Some parts of the mosque?s ceiling fell onto worshipers, I saw people on the ground bleeding.?