Shi'ite pilgrims gather at the bank of Tigris river during a religious rite to mark the birth of Imam al-Mehdi in Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad, August 16, 2008. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims poured into Iraq's holy city of Kerbala on Saturday for a rite that has become an annual show of strength for the Shi'ite majority, defying bomb attacks across the country. Picture taken August 16, 2008. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ)
REUTERS/MOHAMMED AMEEN, STF