Iraqi security forces react at the scene of a car bomb attack at a Shiite political organisation's rally in Baghdad, April 25, 2014. (Reuters)
Death toll in Iraq rally attack rises to 33
The death toll in the suicide bomb attack on a campaign rally for supporters of a Shiite militant group has risen to 33
Security and hospital officials in Iraq say the death toll in the suicide bomb attack on a campaign rally for supporters of a Shiite militant group has risen to 33.
They said Friday's attack at a sports stadium in eastern Baghdad also injured 40 people.
The officials spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists.
An al Qaeda breakaway group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, claimed responsibility for the attack at the rally, which drew about 10,000 supporters of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq group.
It said the bombings were revenge for the killing of Sunnis and their forced removal from their homes by Shiite militias.
Iraq votes Wednesday in a parliamentary election, its first since U.S. troops withdrew in 2011.
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