Karbala, Iraq - A car bomber killed seven people and wounded nine on Monday near a crowd of Shiite pilgrims traveling south of Baghdad to an annual religious ceremony that officials feared would draw attacks.
Dealing a blow to efforts to end a political crisis in Iraq, interim President Ghazi al-Yawar declined a nomination to become the speaker of the new Parliament, as political leaders met again to try to agree on Cabinet posts two months after an election.
Iraq's National Assembly is due to meet for its second session on Tuesday and may unveil some senior positions but not the full Cabinet.
Police in Iskandariyya, south of Baghdad, said the bomber struck on a road leading toward Karbala, where this week hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims will mark Arbaeen, an annual mourning ceremony.
Shiites have frequently been targeted by members of the Sunni-led insurgency over the past two years, particularly during religious occasions.
Iraqi police have strengthened security in and around Karbala over the past week, fearing attacks in the build-up to the commemoration, which mourns the death of a 7th century martyr, Imam Hussein. The ritual climaxes on Thursday.
Traditionally, Shiites walk from their hometowns to Karbala for Arbaeen. The pilgrims were targeted as they passed through an area south of Baghdad dubbed the "triangle of death" because of the frequency of insurgent strikes.
In apparently related violence, a bicycle strapped with explosives blew up near a police car on the main road from Baghdad to Karbala, killing two policemen and wounding several other police and civilians, local police said.
In the Doura district of southwestern Baghdad, police chief Colonel Abdel-Karim al-Fahad was gunned down by unknown assailants as he drove to work. His driver was also killed. In an Internet statement, al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.
And in Najaf, south of Karbala, police Major Nour Karim Nour was shot dead by U.S. troops after approaching a checkpoint on the wrong side of the road, Najaf's police chief said. The U.S. military had no immediate information.
The interior minister expressed concern there would be more violence Tuesday for the new Parliament's second session. "Yes, we will hear explosions tomorrow," Naqib said. "Today they were trying to perfect their aim." He also warned citizens not to protest, saying the gatherings were an invitation for a large-scale terrorist attack. His comments came a day after government bodyguards opened fire on a group of employees demanding higher wages, killing one person. Naqib said the protest was among "attempts to destabilize the situation" in Iraq.
Efforts to form a government shuffled ahead on Monday.
"We will have to wait some days for the formation of the government and the presidency council. We are putting the final touches on it," said outgoing Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a member of the Kurdish alliance.
Despite persistent haggling over key ministries, Tuesday's session is expected to approve a speaker and two deputies.
President Yawar, a Sunni Arab, was suggested by Shiites and Kurds as an acceptable candidate for speaker of the assembly, but aides said he had declined. No reason was given for Yawar's decision.
Politicians were trying to agree on an alternative Sunni Arab candidate for the post.
There were two other Sunni Arab favorites for the post of speaker, Shiite negotiator Maryam al-Rayyes said.
The Shiites were backing UIA member Sheikh Fawaz al-Jarba, a tribal leader from the powerful Shammar tribal confederation, which straddles the sectarian divide.
Rayyes said the Kurds wanted Hajem al-Hassani, the outgoing industry minister, who won a seat in Parliament as part of Yawar's list.
Hassani, a native of the northern oil center of Kirkuk is a devout Muslim who studied and worked in the United States before returning to Iraq after Saddam Hussein's fall. For their part, the Kurds were far from thrilled with Jarba.
"He is a member of the UIA. It would be better to choose an independent Sunni politician if we want a national unity government," Zebari told AFP.
Shiite politicians said Finance Minister Adel Abdel-Mehdi was their candidate for one of the vice president posts, and Hussein al-Shahristani, a nuclear scientist who spent 12 years in Saddam's jails, was likely to be a deputy speaker.
But unless a candidate for speaker is agreed upon, ahead of the assembly meeting, the gathering will make little progress.