2011-01-24 16:08

BAGHDAD - Six people were killed and 10 others wounded in a twin car bomb explosions targeting Shiite pilgrims in the holy city of Karbala on Monday, the police said.

The two car bombs went off in the morning in a quick succession at a parking lot in the al-Ibrahimiyah area in eastern Karbala, some 110 km southwest of Baghdad, a source from the city police told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Our latest report put the toll at six people killed and 10 others wounded, along with destroying several nearby vehicles and buildings," the source said.

The latest incident came as part of a series of bomb attacks as tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are converging from outside Iraq and from different Iraqi provinces to the holy shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala to commemorate the major ritual of Arbaeen.

Arbaeen is the end of 40 days of mourning for the Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, who was killed at the battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks continue in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease of violence over the last three years.