Attacks Kill At Least 40 in Iraq As Shi'ites Mark Ashura

Insurgents in Iraq have marred Saturday's solemn Shi'ite religious commemoration of Ashura with a string of attacks in and around Baghdad that Iraqi officials say killed at least 40 people, and wounded dozens more.

Officials say there were eight suicide bombings in Baghdad alone. The deadliest was on a public bus that killed at least 17 people.

The U.S. military says an American soldier was also killed in one of the Baghdad suicide attacks.

There were no reports of violence in the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala, where hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims gathered under tight security to observe the solemn day. Last year on Ashura, more than 170 people were killed in attacks during observances in Baghdad and Karbala.