Three female suicide bombers killed at least 32 people and wounded 102 when they blew themselves up among Shi'ites walking through the streets of Baghdad on a religious pilgrimage yesterday, Iraqi police said.

    In the northern oil city of Kirkuk a suicide bomber killed 25 people and wounded 185 at a protest against a disputed local elections law, Iraqi health and security officials said.

    The attacks mark one of the bloodiest days in Iraq in months and underscored the fragility of recent security gains in the country, where violence is at its lowest level since early 2004.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Baghdad blasts but Sunni Islamist Al-Qaida often targets Shi'ite pilgrims. It considers Shi'ism - the majority Muslim denomination in Iraq - heretical.

    "These blasts that happened today will increase our determination to finalize this ceremony ... and defeat terrorism," pilgrim Taher Abd-Noor said.

    At least 1 million people are expected to take part in the pilgrimage in the Iraqi capital, which peaks today and marks the death of one of Shi'ite Islam's 12 imams, one of the most important events in the Shi'ite religious calendar.

    Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has urged foreign dignitaries and firms to come to Iraq, citing stronger Iraqi security forces more able to keep the peace with less US military help.