KERBALA, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed eight Iraqi pilgrims and wounded 18 on Thursday near a revered shrine as Iraqi Shi'ites marked Arbain, one of the most important dates in their religious calendar, police said. The bombing took place in central Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad, to which hundreds of thousands of Shi'ites flock each year. The rite marks the end of a mourning period after the death of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussein in the 7th century. (Reporting by Sami al-Jumaili; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
U.S. Major General Michael Oates shakes hands with U.S. soldiers from the Mountain Company after he awarded them for finishing their deployment in Iraq, in Baghdad February 12, 2009. REUTERS/Saad Shalash ...
