Fierce gun battles have terminate a major spiritual festival in Iraq that had pinched hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims to the sacred city of Karbala.

Police told that the fights have left over 50 dead and 200 wounded. Troop reinforcements have been fetched and worshippers ordered to leave the city.

Soldiers devoted to the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, have been widely blamed for the disruptions.
But Moqtada Sadr refused any participation and demanded for peace late on Tuesday.

The radical cleric also demanded an independent investigation into the fights and advises his admirers to co-operate with the agencies "to calm down the situation".

In Baghdad, Iraqi police force stated five people were killed in clashes in the Shia stronghold of Sadr City.
Curfews have also been ordered in the mainly Shia cities of Najaf and Hilla.

Military personnel were rushed to Karbala after the blast of fierce fighting close to two of the most authoritative shrines in Shia Islam, and festivities that had fetched pilgrims to the city from across Iraq and further afield turned to chaos, confusion and bloodshed. As security forces defended, various hotels were set afire.

Firing kept going after dark when the celebrations to mark the birthday of the 12th and last Shia imam should have been bordering on their climax.

But the pilgrims had been ordered to leave several hours earlier.