At least four people were killed and 18 others wounded on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack at Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source said.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a tent set up near a school building by Shiite Muslims as part of preparations to observe one of their major rituals next week, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The Muslims around the world honor the holy month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar.

However, the Shiite Muslims used to make their own communal rituals during the month, including commemorating Ashura, or the 10th day of Muharram, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad, who was killed and buried in Karbala, 100 km southwest of Baghdad, in 680 AD.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide attacks against Shiite pilgrims who perform communal rituals in Iraq, in an attempt to provoke sectarian strife in the violence-shattered country.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 691 Iraqis and wounded 1,016 others in August across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said earlier.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the United States that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.

Source : XINHUA