BAGHDAD - TWO civilians were killed and eight others were injured in a bomb explosion on Saturday in a neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, a security forces official said.

'At least two civilians were killed and eight others were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near an Ashura mourning procession in southern Baghdad, heading to the southern city of Karbala,' the official added.

The Ashura religious event, which will reach its climax next Wednesday, commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein by armies of the Sunni caliph Yazid in the year 680.

The annual Ashura ceremonies in Karbala, attended by millions of pilgrims, are characterised by processions of wailing men beating their chests and engaged in devotional self-flagellation. -- AFP