Thousands of Iraqi Shiites beat themselves in Ashoura marches

Tens of thousands of Iraqis marched and beat themselves today in blood-soaked processions through the holy city of Karbala and other Shiite centres across the country to mourn the seventh-century death of their revered martyr, Imam Hussein.

Amid tight security and as a fierce sandstorm swept the country, hundreds of thousands of people descended on Karbala, where Hussein is believed buried, to take part in ceremonies marking Ashoura, the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic lunar calendar.

Authorities hope to prevent Sunni Arab suicide bombers targeting the event as they have done during the previous two years, killing more than 230 people.

About 20,000 men wearing white shrouds and waving swords above their heads began marching from 2am local time between the gold-domed Imam Hussein shrine and another dedicated to his brother, Abbas.

Thousands more onlookers lined the road as they marched through Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad.