Pilgrims mark Ashura

Jan 19 - Millions of Shi'ite pilgrims take to the streets of the Iraqi city of Kerbala to remember the death of Imam Hussein.

Pilgrims dressed in white robes walked through the streets hitting themselves with swords and gashing their heads.

Their rituals are carried out to show the suffering of their martyr, Imam Hussein, who was killed in a battle at the Iraqi city of Kerbala in 680AD.

Imam Hussein was the Prophet Mohammed's grandson.

Tight security was enforced in the area, which in the past has been a target for attacks by Sunni militants. Imam Hussein's death entrenched the schism between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.

The split still sharply divides Iraq, with tens of thousands killed in sectarian fighting since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.