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WOLF BLITZER: We'll get to those stories in a moment.
First, though, Iraq is facing a furious new wave of
violence. At least 30 people were killed when a
suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded cafe in
the Diyala Province. That's north of Baghdad.
The U.S. military says the attack in this mostly
Shiite area bears the hallmarks of al Qaeda in Iraq.
Shiites are coming under a barrage of bombings and
bullets, facing ambush after ambush ahead of a
religious holiday this weekend.
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad -- Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, vicious
attacks against tens of thousands of Iraqi Shia
pilgrims slowly making their way on foot to the
southern holy city of Karbala, continue to add to a
gruesome toll of dead and wounded in this country
over the past three days.
So far, with the holy festival to take place on
Saturday, as these pilgrims walk south more than 160
civilians and police have been killed in a wave of
suicide bombings and shootings attacking these
devotees.
Since the pilgrims first set out earlier this week,
there's been at least three suicide attacks and car
bombings, the worst of which came on Tuesday in the
southern city of Hillah, where at least 114 pilgrims
were killed.
However, with three days yet to go before the
religious festival peaks on Saturday, American and
Iraqi government officials expect the toll of dead
and wounded to rise -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware reporting for us.
Thank you.