Two explosions at an election rally in Baghdad for a Shiite political party killed at least seven people Friday, officials said, just days before nationwide parliamentary elections.
The blasts went off at around 5:30 pm (1430 GMT) at a rally for the Saadiqun bloc, the political wing of the Asaib Ahel al-Haq militia, according to a police colonel and a medical source.
At least 15 people were wounded.
The rally came with campaigning at a fever pitch ahead of Wednesday’s polls, Iraq’s first since March 2010 and the country’s first national elections since US forces withdrew from the country at the end of 2011.
Nuri al-Maliki is seeking a third term in power with violence at its worst since 2008 and the country still looking to rebuild after decades of conflict and sanctions that have left the economy and infrastructure in dire need of repair.