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Baghdad car bomb kills eight Shia pilgrims

A car bomb has targeted Shia pilgrims in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding several others, officials say.

The bomb exploded on Saturday at about 12:15 pm (0915 GMT) when the pilgrims were returning from commemorations for Shia Imam Moussa Kazim (PBUH) in the north of the capital, an interior ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

The official added that at least 15 people were also wounded in the bomb blast that occurred on the highway near the Shuala area.

A medical source confirmed that the victims were sent to the Al-Hakim hospital in Shuala, but that a final toll was not yet available.

The source, however, said that that the Kadhimiyah and Al-Hakim hospitals had received 21 wounded people.

Violence has risen in Iraq since December 2011, when an arrest warrant was issued for fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi for running a death squad that targeted Iraqi authorities and Shia pilgrims.