Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 VOA News Iraqi police say a roadside bomb targeting Shi'ite pilgrims in western Baghdad has killed three people and wounded about 20, days before one of Shia Islam's holiest events.
Official said the bomb exploded Tuesday in Baghdad's Ghazaliya district as pilgrims gathered to travel to the southern city of Karbala.
The violence happened in the run-up to Ashura, which marks Imam Hussein's death in battle more than 13-hundred years ago. It is considered one of the most important holy days for Shi'ites.
Iraqi forces are providing heavy security in Karbala, the shrine city for Ashura, in hopes of preventing more attacks.
Iraqi officials said Monday a suicide bombing north of Baghdad killed at least four Shi'ite pilgrims.
Officials said the bomber detonated his explosives after a police officer stopped him for a body search near a Shi'ite pilgrim procession in the town of Balad Ruz, some 85 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital.
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