(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Local politician Hussein Shadhan al-Aboudi says the car bombs hit a crowded shopping and restaurant area in Karbala, located 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad. Thirteen people were martyred and another 50 were wounded in that attack, said local provincial council member Hussein Shadhan al-Aboudi.
Tuesday's deadliest attack occurred in Karbala, where two roadside blasts at the entrance to the city martyred 30 people and wounded 48, according to provincial health spokesman Jamal Mehdi.
Police spokesman Major Alaa Abbas of Karbala, which is south of Baghdad and home to the shrines of revered Shi'ite clerics Imam Hussein and Hazrat Abbas, confirmed the toll.
Karbala is a destination for thousands of Shiite pilgrims from around the world each day to visit the golden shrine of revered imam.
Mr. al-Aboudi immediately blamed the attacks on al Qaeda, the terror network that officials believe is behind the recent violence with the aim to have the Arab League's summit in Baghdad next week canceled for the second year in a row.
"It seems that the terrorists want to abort the upcoming Arab Summit in Baghdad," he said. "The message is directed to the Arab leaders that Iraq is not safe enough to be visited."
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