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Bomb attack near Karbala shrine

BAGHDAD: A parked car exploded on Saturday near one of Shia Islam's holiest shrines in the city of Karbala, killing 30 persons and wounding dozens, officials said.

The explosion took place about 7 p.m. in a crowded commercial area near the Imam Hussein shrine as people were heading for prayers in Karbala, 80 km south of Baghdad, the officials said.

At least 30 persons were killed and 50 wounded, said Salim Kazim, the head of the Karbala health department.

Meanwhile, the powerful Iraqi cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr called President George W. Bush the ``anti-Christ'' and urged him to heed calls by the Opposition Democrats to withdraw from the chaos of Iraq.

Calling Mr. Bush ``the greatest evil,'' Mr. Sadr said an eventual U.S. pullout would be a ``victory for the Iraqi people''.

- Agencies

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