(IranMania) - Shiite Iran called for foreign troops to leave war-torn Iraq following a deadly bombing near one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines in the southern city of Najaf.
"The only way to create security in Iraq is to end the occupation by foreigners who have so far failed to bring about security," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.
Iraqi police said an attacker detonated an explosive vest at a police checkpoint in Najaf, close to the tomb of Imam Ali, one of the most revered figures of the Shiite faith, killing 35 and injuring dozens more, including Iranians, AFP stated.
Asefi said the "brutal" attack was aimed at "weakening the Iraqi government and dividing Sunni and Shiite brothers", reports Trend.