KARBALA, Nov 14: Attacks mostly against Shias, including the suicide bombing of a religious procession, killed 44 people in Iraq on Thursday despite massive security measures.

The bloodshed came as a flood of worshippers, including tens of thousands of foreign pilgrims, thronged the central shrine city of Karbala for the climax of Ashura, braving repeated attacks by militants that have marred the festival in previous years.

A suicide bomber, disguised in police uniform, struck in a Shia-majority area of Diyala province, north of Baghdad, killing 32 people and wounding 80, security and medical officials said.

It was the third attack of the day targeting Shias.

Earlier, coordinated blasts in Hafriyah, south of the capital, killed nine people, while twin bombings in the northern oil city of Kirkuk wounded five.

Violence near Baghdad and in Diyala’s provincial capital Baquba left three others dead.

Shias from Iraq and around the world mark Ashura, which this year fell on Thursday, by setting up procession tents where pilgrims gather and food is distributed to passers-by.

An estimated two million people gathered in Karbala. Black-clad pilgrims packed the shrines of Hazrat Imam Hussein.

“I have been coming since I was young, every year, even during the time of the dictator Saddam,” said Abu Ali, a 35-year-old pilgrim from the southern port city of Basra. “I challenge anyone not to cry,” the worshipper said, describing his emotions on taking part in Ashura ceremonies.

Security measures have been boosted, with more than 35,000 soldiers and police deployed to Karbala and surrounding areas.

Concentric security perimeters barred vehicles from entering the city, while helicopters flew overhead.

The violence against Shias is the latest in Iraq’s deadliest unrest since 2008. It has prompted Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, himself a Shia, to appeal to the United States for help in the form of intelligence sharing and new weapons systems.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu offered Ankara’s assistance during a recent visit to Baghdad. —AFP