Two people were killed and 11 injured when an explosive device went off targeting visitors of Imam Hussein shrine in the Iraqi city of Karbala, witnesses said on Wednesday, DPA reported.
The bomb, which went off late Tuesday, was planted on the side of a road in the Kantarat al-Salam region, east of Karbala, which many pilgrims take to visit the shrine.
Pilgrims are visiting the shrine of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, to celebrate the 40th day after Ashura, the holy day that marks Hussein's death in the Battle of Karbala in the year 680.
Iraqi authorities have deployed more than 30,000 military and police officers on the roads leading to Karbala. Security authorities are cooperating with US army air support to protect visitors in the holy Shiite city, a security source said.
Around 5 million visitors have already arrived in the city to attend the annual ritual on February 5, according to security officials, who added that it is the largest number of visitors since 2003. Safeguarding pilgrims during major Shiite festivals remains a challenge for security forces.
Celebrating Shiite events was forbidden during the regime of Saddam Hussein, which suppressed any public display of worship rituals by Iraq's Shiite majority.
Two killed, 11 injured in a blast in Iraqi holy Shiite city
