Four exploded within the Iraqi capital itself. A car bomb in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite northwestern district of Kadhimiya exploded near a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, killing one and wounding seven, police and Interior Ministry sources said.

Other car bombs detonated near a hotel in Baghdad's central Abu Nawas street, two police patrols in the southern Ilaam district and in al-Mesbah in central Baghdad, killing three people, including a policeman, and wounding 18, the sources said.

Elsewhere, a car bomb killed two people and wounded four in Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. A police source said it was a roadside bomb.

The government office which coordinates security in the capital said in a statement the blasts were mainly targeting Shi'ite pilgrims making a religious trek to the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala for the annual rite of Arbain.

Arbain marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a central figure of Shi'ite Islam. It culminates on Tuesday.

More attacks in the coming days, especially against Shi'ite pilgrims, are likely. Around 120,000 police and troops have been mobilized to protect Shi'ite pilgrims heading to Kerbala.