An explosion in the town of Khanaqin, near the Iranian border, killed at least 13 people and wounded another 39, most of them Shi'ite Kurds.

In Mandali, south of Khanaqin, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Shi'ite mosque, killing at least 23 and wounding more than 50.

Ashura is a period of mourning commemorating the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

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