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| Bomb attacks mar Shia Iraqi feast | Bomb attacks mar Shia Iraqi feast |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Bomb attacks on a Shia mosque and pilgrims have killed at least 23 people as Iraq's main Muslim community marks one of its biggest feasts. | |
| More than a million pilgrims were gathering in Karbala, south of Baghdad, to mark the birth of historic religious figure Mohammed al-Mehdi. | More than a million pilgrims were gathering in Karbala, south of Baghdad, to mark the birth of historic religious figure Mohammed al-Mehdi. |
| The mosque bomb in Mosul killed 20 while a blast hit a bus returning from Karbala, killing three pilgrims. | |
| Iraq has seen frequent sectarian strife between its Shia and Sunni Muslims. | Iraq has seen frequent sectarian strife between its Shia and Sunni Muslims. |
| On the outskirts of Mosul, in northern Iraq, the bomb went off as worshippers were leaving the mosque after Friday prayers. | |
| Police said 61 people were also wounded in the blast which reportedly targeted members of the Turkmen community. | |
| More than eight people were injured in the attack on the pilgrims' bus, which was struck by a roadside bomb as it entered Sadr City in the capital Baghdad. | |
| An attack on Thursday evening killed at least one person making their way to the festival and injured three. | |
| Security test | |
| Shia pilgrims in Karbala have often been targeted by attacks in the past. | |
| Attacks have taken place at the festival in previous years | |
| The festival marks the birth of Mohammed al-Mehdi, the 12th and last Shia Imam, known as the Hidden Imam. | |
| More than 20,000 Iraqi police have been deployed to protect the pilgrims. | |
| The festival could become a test for the Iraqi government, which says its forces are in control of the situation, says the BBC's Natalya Antelava in Baghdad. | |
| Many Iraqis say the government has yet to prove it is in full control of security. | |
| Last Friday, a series of apparently co-ordinated bombs outside five Shia mosques in Baghdad killed at least 29 people and injured more than 130. | |
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