The death toll from the three explosions in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf has risen to 25, with 72 others wounded.

One blast was a car bomb near a mosque. The other two were roadside bombs near a popular market. The explosions occurred around 5-30 pm local time on Thursday in the Shiite holy city, some 180 kilometers south of the capital, Baghdad. Some shops and buildings were also damaged. Iraqi officials have warned that violence is expected to intensify ahead of the country's parliamentary election on March 7th.