Seven Iranian pilgrims injured in Iraq shooting

Seven Iranian Shia pilgrims travelling in central Iraq were wounded when their bus came under attack by unidentified gunmen, police and medical officials said.

The officials said late on Sunday that the bus carrying ten pilgrims was north of the capital of Baghdad when gunmen opened fire.

They say the wounded passengers were taken to a hospital, including a woman who was in serious condition. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Baghdad declared victory over the Islamic State group in December 2017 after a brutal fight to drive them from Iraqi towns and cities.

However, the militants still roam areas along the border with Syria and maintain the capacity to launch deadly attacks.

Iraq is the situation of many holy Shia cities, such as Karbala and Najaf. 

During Shia religious festivals and pilgrimages in recent years in Iraq, tens of thousands of security forces and Shia paramilitary forces have been deployed to counter the threat of attacks.

Critics of local Shia militias and activists have also been gunned down, including a well-known writer in Karbala on Sunday.