BAGHDAD — Iraq has stepped up security after a mortar attack on a religious procession killed 7 people and wounded dozens more.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry and the Baghdad operations command, Dhia Al-Wakil, said Monday that security forces have been put on alert and that new measures were taken to prevent more attacks on people.

Authorities say two mortar shells hit a procession in Kazimiyah late Sunday, killing seven people and wounding 38.

Officials said Sunday’s attack, like many of the bombings that still plague Baghdad and the rest of Iraq, was intended to stir up animosity between Iraq’s Shiite and Sunni Muslims. — AP