A suicide attack has killed at least 53 Shia Muslim pilgrims and left another 137 wounded in Iraq's southern city of Basra, local police say.<br /><br />The attacker, wearing a suicide vest, was said to have been disguised as a policeman when he targeted pilgrims who were passing through a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city on Saturday.<br /><br />The pilgrims were heading towards a Shia mosque in the busy al-Zubair district, west of Basra city. The mosque is home to a seventh century shrine.<br /><br />The attacks on Shia Muslim worshippers have been blamed on al-Qaeda linked forces.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf reports from Baghdad.
