Baghdad: Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims gathered around Baghdad's golden-dome shrine on Tuesday for a religious event.

The pilgrims streamed toward the shrine of Imam Moussa Al Kadhim in the northern neighborhood of Kazimiyah where police set up checkpoints to conduct body searches.

Security was stepped up, with authorities imposing a vehicle ban in the city and deploying tens of thousands of police in the streets for fear of more violence.

Female suicide bombers struck a procession in central Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 32 pilgrims.