Baghdad Car Bomb Leaves At Least 34 Dead, 75 Injured

A string of car bombs planted throughout Iraq's capital killed at least 34 people and injured 75 others on Tuesday, The Belfast Telegraph reported.

Most of the explosions occurred in parked vehicles located in areas with a Shi'ite majority, which was celebrating the birthday of Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law.

Haithem Kadhum, who owns a juice shop, was running to check on his family when he was struck in the shoulder.

"I got out of the car and I saw dead and wounded people on the ground. Everybody was in panic," Kadhum told The AP after being treated at a hospital.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the second-deadliest one in the past few weeks.

On April 28, militants killed 48 people at polling stations, mostly in Baghdad. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant -- an al Qaeda splinter group made up of Sunni Muslim extremists -- claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings.

"We tell the spiteful Shiites and their government that we will save no efforts to target your gatherings and centers in all over Baghdad," the group said in a statement.

Though the statement was consistent with previous ones, it could not be independently verified by The Associated Press.

Two days later, Iraqis still showed a large turnout at the polls -- demonstrating a strong stance against terrorism.

"Two weeks ago the Iraqi people showed their clear support for a peaceful, democratic process by voting in large numbers. This was a clear rejection of the terrorists seeking to destabilize Iraq," said Britain's charge d'affaires, Mark Bryson-Richardson.

In the past year, at least 3,500 civilians and Iraqi security forces have been killed, according to the United Nations. In 2013, than 7,800 civilians died from the violence.

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