The Iraqi defense ministry has ordered all vehicles off the streets of Baghdad indefinitely.

On Friday, the Iraqi government announced a two-day vehicle ban in areas around a shrine in Khadimiya in northern Baghdad, fearing a possible attack on Shia pilgrims gathering on Saturday to mark the death of an 8th-century imam.

But the prime minister's office and defence ministry said on Saturday that the ban would now cover the whole of Baghdad and would last indefinitely.

Ibrahim Shaker, the defense ministry spokesman, said: "All vehicles are banned in Baghdad indefinitely." He said that the vehicle curfew had started at 9pm (1700 GMT) on Friday.

Shia pilgrimage

Shia religious festivals attract many thousands of people and have been frequent targets of attack.

Seven pilgrims walking to Khadimiya were shot dead by gunmen in a car in the al-Adel district on Friday night. Car bomb attacks are also a frequent occurrence in Baghdad.
   
Nearly 1,000 Shia pilgrims were killed in a stampede during last year's ceremony, when a crowd heading towards the shrine was panicked by rumors of a suicide bomber.
   
It was the greatest loss of Iraqi life in a single incident since the US invasion of 2003. 
   
This weekend Shia pilgrims will gather at the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim to mark his death in 799.

Photo Caption

Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad