Iraqi pilgrimage city calm despite threats

KERBALA, Iraq - Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims descended on the holy city of Kerbala in their hundreds of thousands today to celebrate a religious festival under threat of war declared by Sunni Arab militants.

Around two hours before the celebrations were due to end at midnight (8am NZT), Kerbala was calm and peaceful. Pilgrims lit candles and placed them around shrines, despite fears that the vast gathering could become the setting for an insurgent attack.

On the main road from Baghdad to Kerbala, eight people were killed earlier in the day in two car bomb attacks, police said.

Thousands of police and security forces were deployed in Kerbala after the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, declared war on Shi'ites.

Last week, over 250 people died in and around Baghdad.

Kerbala police chief Brigadier-General Karim al-Hasnawi said at least two and a half million Shi'ites had converged on the city by Monday morning to mark the birthday of Imam Mehdi, a revered Shi'ite figure descended from Islam's prophet Mohammad.

"This year the number is much higher than in previous years. We think it may be an act of defiance," Hasnawi said.

- REUTERS