Tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to Baghdad shrine despite IS threat

Tens of thousands of Shia worshipers converged on a north Baghdad shrine on Tuesday for the peak of an annual pilgrimage, braving the threat of attack after two bombings.

The attacks in recent days claimed by the Islamic State group, which considers Shias apostates, killed at least 37 people but did not deter huge crowds of black-clad pilgrims from visiting the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim to commemorate his death.

Some of the faithful pounded their chests with grief while others pounded drums as the crowds moved along the streets carrying symbolic coffins or flagellating themselves.

"This pilgrimage represents a defeat for terrorism," said Mohammed Nayif, a 32-year-old from Babil province, south of Baghdad.

"We are not afraid of the explosions and nothing will stop us," he said.

Imam Kadim’s is the 7^th imam of Twelver Shia Islam, the largest branch of Shia Islam that believes in 12 divinely ordained leaders.

An official from the shrine said that "millions" of people participated in the pilgrimage in recent days, and that more details would be released later on Tuesday.

Many of the main thoroughfares in Baghdad are closed in the days leading up to the annual commemoration of Imam Kadhim's death. He is widely believed to have been poisoned and died in 799 CE.

The pilgrimage to his shrine has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings the capital to a standstill for days, despite the growing threat from IS.

The militant group set off a car bomb in south Baghdad that killed at least 14 people on Monday, while 23 people died in a similar attack on the outskirts of the city two days before.