Imam Hussein

Several thousand Iranians gathered outside the former US embassy in Tehran on Tuesday to mark its storming by students 35 years ago, burning the American flag.

Eight Iraqi soldiers were killed in fighting with jihadists south of Baghdad as the army battled to secure the route used by hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims, officers said Saturday.

Iraqi officials worked on Saturday to calm soaring tensions after the killing of 70 people at a Sunni mosque, as Washington branded the beheading of an American journalist a "terrorist attack."

Violence across Iraq, including bombings against Shiites, killed 23 people on Wednesday as worshipers massed in a shrine city on the eve of major commemoration rituals often targeted by militants.

Three coordinated blasts targeting Shiite pilgrims north of Baghdad killed at least eight people and wounded 10 others on Wednesday, Iraqi security and medical officials said.

Pakistan on Thursday blocked cellular services in over 50 towns and cities, including Islamabad, to prevent terror attacks on Shia processions to commemorate the slaying of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered Shia figures.

Several thousand Iranians gathered outside the former US embassy in Tehran on Tuesday to mark its storming by students 35 years ago, burning the American flag.

Eight Iraqi soldiers were killed in fighting with jihadists south of Baghdad as the army battled to secure the route used by hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims, officers said Saturday.

Iraqi officials worked on Saturday to calm soaring tensions after the killing of 70 people at a Sunni mosque, as Washington branded the beheading of an American journalist a "terrorist attack."

Violence across Iraq, including bombings against Shiites, killed 23 people on Wednesday as worshipers massed in a shrine city on the eve of major commemoration rituals often targeted by militants.

Three coordinated blasts targeting Shiite pilgrims north of Baghdad killed at least eight people and wounded 10 others on Wednesday, Iraqi security and medical officials said.

Pakistan on Thursday blocked cellular services in over 50 towns and cities, including Islamabad, to prevent terror attacks on Shia processions to commemorate the slaying of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered Shia figures.