At least 31 killed in bombings at Iraq campaign rally

Warning: Graphic content. A series of bombs went off at a rally for a Shiite group ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary election next week. Video by PBS NewsHour

Bombings at a campaign rally in Baghdad on Friday have left at least 31 people dead and 37 wounded, the Associated Press reports.

At least three bombs went off at a rally for a Shiite group ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary election next week. Some 10,000 people had gathered at a stadium in eastern Baghdad for the rally.

Intense gunfire could be heard after the explosions.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaida spin-off group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Jane Arraf, a freelance journalist who was working for the PBS NewsHour in Baghdad when the bombings took place, will have a firsthand account for the rundown later Friday.