KARBALA, Iraq, July 16 (UPI) -- At least nine people were killed by car bombs near Karbala as Shiite pilgrims gathered there for a religious festival, Iraqi officials said Saturday.
The three bombings Friday and Saturday morning also wounded 70 people, CNN reported.
Shabaniya, the birthday of the last imam, Mohammed Ibn Hassan al-Mahdi, falls on Sunday. Many pilgrims were already on their way to Karbala, about 60 miles south of Baghdad and site of the Imam Hussein Shrine.
The last reported bombing occurred Saturday when a motorcycle converted to a bomb exploded. The bombing killed one and injured at least 27 people.
Two people were killed Friday afternoon by a double car bombing. The deadliest attack was Friday night when a car bomb killed six people just north of the city.
An Interior Ministry official told CNN the bombings appear to be the work of al-Qaida in Iraq, although the group has not claimed responsibility.
