As a minimum 19 people were killed in bomb attacks concentrated on Iraqi police and pilgrims on Wednesday, police and clinical sources mentioned, simply before the top of a Shi’ite Muslim spiritual pageant. No crew straight away claimed accountability for the attacks, which coincided with the holy ritual of Ashura, when Shi’ites commemorate Imam Hussein who died more than 1,000 years in the past. Shi’ites are considered apostates via hardline Sunni Islamist insurgents who’ve been regaining momentum in Iraq this year. Security personnel are additionally a first-rate goal for Sunni militants linked with al Qaeda, which seeks to destabilize Iraq’s Shi’ite-led govt and foment intercommunal conflict.