Bombs kill 15 in Shiite holy city in Iraq

Fifteen people were killed and 25 wounded today when three bombs exploded simultaneously in the Shiite Muslim shrine city of Najaf, the worst attack to hit Iraq this year, officials said.
   
A car bomb exploded near a mosque and two other bombs blew up in a retail market in the city, 150 km south of Baghdad, according to a security official.
   
"At 5.30 pm (2000 IST), three bombs exploded at the same time close to a large market at Jumla, targeting the innocent, passers-by and traders," a local government official said.

"The victims are being transported to hospital."
   
An interior ministry official in the capital gave the casualty toll of 15 dead and 25 wounded.
   
Najaf is home to the mausoleum of Imam Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, and attracts Shiites from around the world, especially neighbouring Iran.
   
An AFP correspondent in the city said Iraqi security forces deployed in large numbers following the bombings, with routes into the city sealed off.
   
While attacks in Iraq remain common, especially in Baghdad and the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, violence in Najaf has become rare.
   
The last major attack in Najaf dates back to February 2007 when a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi police checkpoint, killing 13 people and wounding dozens more.