Hundreds of thousands of Shi’ite pilgrims are in Karbala to mark Ashoura, the holiday that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. This year, many of the observers openly mixed politics with ritual.

The speaker of the parliament, Osama al-Nujaifi, said that progress has been made in the crisis between the Kurdish and central governments. Nevertheless, a large contingent of Peshmerga forces is reported on its way to Kirkuk.

Meanwhile, at least six Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in attacks.

In Mosul, gunmen killed the deputy head of the provincial Sunni Endowment office. A policeman was killed and two more were wounded in a blast. Gunmen also killed a school guard.

Gunmen killed one soldier and wounded another in Falluja. Another soldier was killed in a separate shooting.

A bomb exploded outside a home in Haswa and killed a civilian.

Two civilians were wounded in a bombing at a policeman’s home in Shirqat.

In Hit, an I.E.D. planted on a car seriously wounded a policeman.

A landmine wounded a shepherd in Mahaweel.

A hand grenade left no casualties in Abi Gharaq.

Read more by Margaret Griffis

• Twenty Killed in Attacks Focused on Iraqi Security Forces – May 23rd, 2013
• 31 Killed in Iraq, Including 12 Slaughtered in a Baghdad Brothel – May 22nd, 2013
• Sixty Killed, 132 Wounded in Ongoing Iraq Carnage – May 21st, 2013
• Monday Mayhem: 133 Killed, 283 Wounded in Iraq – May 20th, 2013
• Iraqi Police Targeted As Attacks Claim 44 Lives – May 19th, 2013