UPDATED: Islamic State bombs Arba’een event in Diyala, killing two, injuring 11

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An explosion occurred in the southern Kurdistan Region area of Khanaqin on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two women and the injury of eleven other civilians.

The blast occurred at 10:00 am near the shrine of Bawa Mahmoud in Khanaqin, Diyala Province, visited by Shia Kurds participating in the Arba’een religious observance, a major event marking the end of 40 mourning days after Ashura.

Khanaqin is a Kurdish city in Diyala and lies northeast of Baquba, the provincial capital. The city is among the areas disputed between the central government and the Kurdistan Region.

A source from the area told Kurdistan 24 that two women were killed and about 11 others injured in the explosion.

The police are still at the site of the incident and are working on defusing another bomb found near the area, a security source told Kurdistan 24.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday. IS and other extremist groups have repeatedly targeted Shia events, attended by large numbers of individuals belonging to the religious sect since the fall of the Baathist regime in 2003.

The Arba’een pilgrimage marks the martyrdom in 680 of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who refused to accept the leadership of the “usurper,” Caliph Yazid, and was massacred along with his followers at Karbala.

Protecting the processions of religious ceremonies, including Ashura and Arba’een, are a test of the abilities of the Iraqi forces under the new administration in Baghdad.

Editing by Nadia Riva