Fresh clashes reported in Iraqi Shi'ite city

KERBALA, Iraq, Aug 28 (Reuters) Four people were killed and 18 wounded in a fresh outbreak of violence in the holy Iraqi city of Kerbala, where hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims gathered today for a major ritual, police said.

Police in the city said gunmen had clashed with police near the Imam Abbas shrine, one of the holiest shrines in Shi'ite Islam. The fighting had ended but the situation was described as very tense.

The violence follows clashes between police and pilgrims yesterday night in which at least six people were killed.

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