Three bombs targeting Shia pilgrims in Baghdad have killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens more, Iraqi security and medical officials said.

Al Jazeera reported that Thursday’s attacks struck Mansur in west Baghdad, Baab al-Sharji in the center of the city, and the neighborhood of Shaab, as worshippers prepared to commemorate the death of a revered figure in Shia Islam, Imam Mousa al-Kadhim.

Shia pilgrims are often targeted by Sunni terrorists who regard them as apostates, and in past years, multiple attacks have been carried out during the Imam Kadhim commemorations, AFP news agency reported.

Due to the heightened threat of attack, the authorities had imposed heavy security measures involving the closure of entire roads in the capital, but were unable to prevent the bombings nonetheless.