Iraqi bombings target Shias

At least six bombings in Iraq on Friday killed 37 people, including Shia pilgrims in Baghdad and worshippers in the country's north.

In the latest attack, 30 people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside a Shia mosque near the northern city of Mosul, said local officials.

The blast happened as worshippers were leaving a mosque in the village of Rasheediyah. More than 40 people were hurt.

Earlier Friday, seven people were killed when a series of roadside bombs targeted Shia pilgrims returning to Baghdad from the southern holy city of Karbala, police and medical officials said.

The incidents are the latest in a seriestargeting Shia Iraqis, raising concerns that insurgents are stepping up attacks against Shia pilgrims, hoping to reignite sectarian violence that nearly tore the country apart in 2006 and 2007.

Though violence has dramatically fallen off in Iraq in the past two years, U.S. officials have repeatedly called the security gains fragile and cautioned that a waning insurgency still has the ability to pull off sporadic, high profile attacks.

7 dead in Baghdad blasts

The first of thethreeBaghdad bombs exploded at about 9:10 a.m. local time, targeting a minibus with pilgrims as it entered the Shia slum of Sadr City, a police official said. The blast killed four pilgrims and wounded eight others, the official said. The casualties were confirmed by a medical official.

A short time later, two near simultaneous explosions near the Shaab football stadium in eastern Baghdad killed three pilgrims as they were walking home to Sadr City, said another police official.

Thirteen pilgrims also were wounded in the two blasts, which were placed less than one kilometre apart, the official said.

All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information to the media.

Pilgrims travel to Karbala

The blasts came a day after a roadside bomb targeted pilgrims on their way to Karbala, killing one and wounding four others. Last Friday, a string of bombings targeted Shia worshippers in the Baghdad area during Friday prayers, killing at least 29 people.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Attacks on Shia civilians particularly during pilgrimages have been the hallmark of Sunni extremists, including al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Hundreds of thousands of devout Shia have been travelling by foot or by vehicle to Karbala, 80 kilometres south of Baghdad, to celebrate the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th Shia imam, who disappeared in the ninth century. Devout Shia call him the Hidden Imam and believe he will return to restore peace and harmony.

In 2007, the celebration, known as Shabaniyah, was tarnished when armed clashes broke out between followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and security forces controlled by rival Shia groups. Last year, suicide bombers targeted pilgrims, killing more than two dozen people.

Iraqi forces have stepped up security on the road to and from Karbala. The ceremonies reached their high point Thursday night and Friday morning.