Baghdad car bomb kills at least 13 Shia pilgrims

Attack targets pilgrims commemorating death anniversary of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Iraq’s capital.

The pilgrimage has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings Baghdad to a standstill for days [Husseini/Reuters]

A car bombing has killed at least 13 Shia pilgrims commemorating the death anniversary of a revered imam in Baghdad, according to Iraqi officials.

A parked explosives-laden car detonated shortly after midday on Monday in the southwestern Saydiyah neighbourhood, a police officer told the AP news agency

Tens of thousands of Shia Muslims have been making their way this week to the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Kadhimiyah, where the 8th century Imam Musa al-Kadhim is buried.

Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shia Islam, died in 799AD.

The pilgrimage has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings Baghdad to a standstill for days.

Security forces had previously said they would be blocking major roads in Baghdad on Monday and Tuesday to prevent potential attacks on pilgrims.

On Saturday, a car bomb killed at least 23 people and injured 38 others near the Iraqi capital.

The bomb targeted an open air market frequented by Shia in Nahrawan. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the bombing.