Guards checked every person before they crossed the green iron gates of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim mosque.

NPR: Shiite Pilgrims Willingly Risk Lives for Faith

The pilgrimage is to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of the 12 Imams of Shia Islam.

CNN: Three U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq

Iraqi security forces tightened their security measures Saturday in and around Baghdad to protect pilgrims flocking to Imam Moussa al-Kadhim's shrine.

CNN: Baghdad car bombs target Shiite pilgrims, kill 32

The videotaped statement from Wissam Ali Kadhim Ibrahim, who was identified as a former Baathist police official, aired on Iraqi television.

CNN: Iraq, Syria pull ambassadors as bombing suspects sought

The ceremony honoring the anniversary of al-Kadhim's death is not one of the most important in the Shiite faith, but it has gained significance in Iraq because the ceremony was banned under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime.

NPR: Shiite Pilgrims Willingly Risk Lives for Faith

Kadhim Mohammed, an advisor in the ministry of trade, said the decision to stop registering companies - which will prevent any new Turkish firms opening in Iraq, but should not affect existing ones - had "nothing to do with politics".

MSN: Iraq stops registering Turkish firms amid row over Hashemi