1st LD: At least 2 killed in suicide bomb attack on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq's Baghdad

At least two people were killed and seven others injured on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack targeting Shiite pilgrims in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source said.

The attack occurred in the morning when a suicide bomber wearing explosive vest blew himself up at a procession of Shiite pilgrims who gathered to observe the Shiite major ritual of Ashura, of which the climax day is Wednesday, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The Muslims around the world honor the holy month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar.

However, the Shiite Muslims make their own communal rituals during the month, including commemorating Ashura, or the 10th day of Muharram, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who was killed and buried in Karbala, 100 km southwest of Baghdad, in 680 AD.

The toll could rise as many were evacuated to the city hospitals and medical enters, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide attacks against Shiite pilgrims who perform communal rituals in Iraq, in an attempt to provoke sectarian strife in the violence-shattered country.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 1,003 Iraqis and wounded 1,159 others in September across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said earlier.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the United States that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003. Endit