25 killed in attack on Iraq election rally

At least 25 people have been killed and 60 others wounded in a coordinated bomb blast at an election rally in the Iraqi city of Baqouba.

A person threw a grenade at an open-air political meeting in Baqouba, which is located 65 km northeast of the capital Baghdad on Saturday, officials said.

Later on the same day, a bomber detonated his explosives when candidate Muthana al-Jourani and his supporters gathered for lunch at a large tent set next to his house.

According to the Associated Press, a police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said al-Jourani was injured in the incident. He is running in provincial polls on the ticket of Iraqiya political bloc.

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid a rise in violence across the country as Iraqis prepare for their first elections in three years. The provincial polls are due to be held in Iraq on April 20.

On Friday, a roadside bomb exploded in Baqouba soon after Friday prayers and killed two people, injuring a dozen more.

Three soldiers were also killed on Friday after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Abu Ghraib neighborhood in the western part of Baghdad.

A bomb explosion also claimed the lives of three civilians and wounded 15 others on the same day.