Shi'ite pilgrims light candles to mark the birth anniversary of Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadar, in Karbala, Iraq

A religious festival that drew millions of Shi'ite pilgrims to Iraq's holy city of Karbala has ended without major incident.

Heavy security was in place Saturday for the festival of Shaaban. It commemorates the birth of ninth-century Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadar.

Violence elsewhere in Iraq killed at least 12 people.  Bomb attacks in Baghdad left at least two people dead.  And a gunman killed an employee of Iraq's government-run newspaper in the capital.

On Friday, insurgents firing mortar rounds killed at least three Shi'ite pilgrims in a procession near Karbala.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.