HERO: Policeman Throws Himself On Suicide Bomber, Saves Dozens

An Iraqi policeman has sacrificed himself as he tried to protect Shiite pilgrims, embracing a suicide bomber just moments before the man exploded, officials said.

Mourners hold on to the coffin of an Iraqi killed in an attack on pilgrims near 

The bomber struck on Wednesday in the Khales area northeast of Baghdad, killing five people and wounding 10, a police colonel and a doctor said.

The colonel said one of the dead was a policeman who had been guarding the pilgrims.

He threw his arms around the bomber just before the attack in a bid to shield others.

Iraqi policemen search Shi’ite pilgrims as they walk to the holy city of Kerbala

The policeman was Ayyub Khalaf, 34, who was married and had two children, aged six and nine.

“Ayyub was martyred while defending pilgrims,” his friend Saad Naim said.

“His name will be an eternal symbol because he saved the lives of dozens of innocents.

We will take revenge on the Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation,” he added.

Ayyub was martyred while defending pilgrims, and his name will be an eternal symbol because he saved the lives of dozens of innocents,” Mr Naim said.

“We will take revenge on the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation,” he added.

Khalaf’s cousin Hassan Jassem also praised his actions.

“My cousin Ayyub Khalaf stood in the face of terrorism as he saved… pilgrims from death,” Jassem said.“We are proud of him.”

And Jaafar Khamis, one of Khalaf’s colleagues in the police, commended the bravery of his friend.

“Ayyub was my friend since the school days. He was a brave man who loved his country and sacrificed himself for it,” he said.

“I am proud of him, because he faced terrorism and was able to silence the voice of infidelity and injustice by sacrificing his body and soul.”

The Khales bombing was the latest in a wave of attacks targeting Shiite pilgrims, including two in Baghdad province that killed at least eight pilgrims on Tuesday, and two car bombings that took the lives of at least 24 on Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them on foot, make pilgrimages to the holy city of Karbala during the 40 days after the annual commemoration marking the death of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, known to Shiites as Imam Hussein.