In Baghdad, thousands of Shiite pilgrims converged on a shrine in the northern part of the capital for an annual procession, walking a route secured by police officers as a citywide ban on driving emptied the streets in an effort to prevent sectarian attacks and panic.

At least three Shiites were found dead in Baghdad, shot in the head, according to hospital officials. But the Interior Ministry could not confirm whether they were pilgrims.

Elsewhere in Iraq, battles continued to rage. A U.S. soldier was killed from wounds incurred during fighting in Anbar Province, the U.S. military said in a statement. An Iraqi police patrol was ambushed by sniper's fire in Mosul, killing a policeman and wounding another, the police said.

In a series of gunbattles in and around Baqouba, at least six people were killed. A civilian died from stray gunfire after an attack on an Iraqi police checkpoint in a western suburb; nearby, gunmen killed two professors from Diyala University.

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Contributing: Associated Press