A suicide car bomb exploded outside a Shi'ite mosque northeast of Baghdad as worshippers were leaving a religious ceremony on Friday, killing at least 13 people, local police said. The blast in the town of Balad Ruz targeted Iraqis as they were leaving a Shi'ite ceremony linked to the holy period of Ashura. The area around Balad Ruz has both Sunni and Shi'ite residents. Earlier, gunmen opened fire on Shi'ites in a bakery in Baghdad, killing at least nine people. Shi'ites make up around 60 percent of Iraq's population but were oppressed for decades under Saddam Hussein. An alliance of mainly Shi'ite Islamist groups is expected to dominate Iraqi politics following the Jan. 30 elections. Insurgents, most of whom are Sunni Muslim, have mounted repeated attacks on Shi'ites. Shi'ite leaders say they will not be drawn into a civil war.