<p>The victims were members of an elite special weapons squad sent to Samarra to protect shrines during a recent Shi’ite religious event, a police source said. The attacker stopped the car in front of a shelter where a SWAT team from southern Maysan province was staying. <br /><br />Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, was struck by another suicide bombing that targeted Shi’ite pilgrims nine days ago. The bomber detonated an explosive vest at a crowded bus depot just outside the city, killing at least 48 people. <br /><br />That attack occurred during a commemoration of the death of Hasan al-Askari, one of 12 revered imams. Shi’ite religious events were banned under Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, who was ousted in a 2003 US-led invasion. <br /><br />Shi’ite pilgrims have been frequent targets of a weakened but still lethal Sunni Islamist insurgency. <br /></p>
<p>The victims were members of an elite special weapons squad sent to Samarra to protect shrines during a recent Shi’ite religious event, a police source said. The attacker stopped the car in front of a shelter where a SWAT team from southern Maysan province was staying. <br /><br />Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, was struck by another suicide bombing that targeted Shi’ite pilgrims nine days ago. The bomber detonated an explosive vest at a crowded bus depot just outside the city, killing at least 48 people. <br /><br />That attack occurred during a commemoration of the death of Hasan al-Askari, one of 12 revered imams. Shi’ite religious events were banned under Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, who was ousted in a 2003 US-led invasion. <br /><br />Shi’ite pilgrims have been frequent targets of a weakened but still lethal Sunni Islamist insurgency. <br /></p>