Shia pilgrims were the target of an attack on Wednesday in Tikrit
Two near-simultaneous bomb attacks targeting a Shia religious procession south of Baghdad have left at least eight people dead and dozens wounded.
The attack happened in Wasit province, on the Shia festival of Ashura, which commemorates the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, in 680AD.
At least 15 Shia pilgrims were killed and 65 injured in a suicide bomb attack in Diyala province, officials said.
Shia religious events are frequently targeted by Sunni militants.
Thursday's twin attack took place in the town of Hafriyah, about 50km (32 miles) from the capital, police said.
The suicide bombing happened in the city of al-Sadiya in the restive Diyala province.
On Wednesday, a string of bomb attacks in Iraq targeting Shia pilgrims and police left at least 20 people dead, officials said.
Up to two million Shia are expected to make the pilgrimage to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where there is a shrine to Hussein's martyrdom.
Sectarian violence in Iraq has reached its highest level since 2008.
The UN says 979 people - including 158 police and 127 military personnel - were killed in violent attacks in October. More than 6,500 civilians have died this year.
Iraq has also seen a spill-over of violence from the conflict in Syria, where jihadist rebels linked to the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group that includes al-Qaeda, have risen to prominence.
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24936961#TWEET954492]
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