Shias attacked in Iraq, toll rises to 22 Photogallery

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Shias attacked in Iraq, toll rises to 22

Hundreds of thousands of people make pilgrimages to Karbala, many of them on foot, during the 40 days after the annual commemoration marking the death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, known to Shias as Imam Hussein.

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The 40th day, known as Arbaeen, falls on December 23 this year. Sunni militants, including those linked to Al-Qaida, frequently target members of Iraq's Shiite majority, whom they consider to be apostates.

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The throngs of pilgrims on the roads make for an easy target, and they have been hit by a series of attacks in recent days. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber targeted Shia pilgrims in Khales, north of Baghdad, killing five people and wounding 10.

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On Tuesday, two attacks against pilgrims in and near Baghdad killed at least eight people, and on Monday two car bombs targeting pilgrims south of the capital killed at least 24 people.

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Violence in Iraq has surged this year to levels not seen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal sectarian conflict. More people were killed in the first eight days of this month than in all of December last year.

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