DHAKA: A suicide bomber struck a Shia Muslim procession north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 15 worshippers and wounding 65, security and medical officials said.

The attack, north of the restive Diyala provincial capital Baquba, came as Shia marked the climax of Ashura, one of the holiest days of their faith.

The bomber struck a procession in the Shia-majority Saadiyah area of the confessionally mixed province.

It was the second attack of the day to target Shia worshippers.

Earlier, coordinated blasts in the Hafriyah area, south of Baghdad, killed nine people and wounded dozens, police and medical sources said, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1622 HRS, NOV 14, 2013
RoR/BSK