11 Shiite pilgrims killed in Iraq bombing

Attacks on Shiite pilgrims continued Wednesday, with at least 11 people killed by bombs and gunfire who were heading for a solemn religious ritual, police said.

The attacks came a day after two suicide bombers exploded themselves in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. At least 120 people died in that attack, authorities said.

On Wednesday, a roadside bomb exploded alongside pilgrims traveling to Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, ahead of this weekend's Muslim holiday. Immediately after the blast, gunmen moved in and fired on the pilgrims, police said.

At least seven were killed and 14 wounded, they said. The attack happened in Dora, a mostly Sunni neighborhood of southern Baghdad.

Hours later, more gunmen opened fire on Shiite pilgrims on a bridge in southeastern Baghdad, killing three and wounding five, police said. Another shooting left one pilgrim dead and four wounded in central Baghdad, police said.

Shiite worshippers will gather this weekend for rites marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein died near Karbala in a 7th-century battle.