HOLY CITY OF KARBALA, Iraq: A car bomb exploded just after Zohr (daytime) prayer-call Saturday in the holy city of Karbala leaving at least 24 people martyred and scores other injured.

Karbala is the burial place of Imam Hussein (AS), grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (SW), and his brother Al-Abbas (AS).
According to reports the car bomb occurred in the north of the holy city near a gathering of people cooking food (tabrrok) commemorating the martyrdom of infallible Imam (AS).

Wounded people were soon taken to Al-Hussein hospital, the only hospital in the holy city.

Earlier, an official in Iraqi army told that 20 armed terrorists attacked the holy shrine of Salman Al-Farsi, a renowned companion of holy Prophet (SW), in Al-Madain. They martyred the guards and then razed the holy shrine with bombs.

This terror activity came after 24 hours of martyrdom of more than 48 Iraqis at the hands of terrorists. Those martyred were going to take part a peaceful protest against bombing of holy shrine of Al-Imamain Al-Askariyain (AS) in Samarra. Terrorists after killing them took out their id cards and put these on their dead bodies.