Blast at Shiite shrine kills seven

BAGHDAD, April 8 (UPI) -- A bomb exploded near a Shiite shrine in northern Baghdad Wednesday, killing at least seven Iraqis and injuring 23 others, officials said.

The bomb detonated in the Kadhimiya district near the Imam Musa al-Kadhim shrine, one of the holiest shrines for Shiite Muslims, CNN reported.

Wednesday was the third consecutive day of attacks that struck mostly Shiite areas in the Iraqi capital.

On Tuesday, a parked car exploded in the Kadhimiya district, killing nine people and injuring more than a dozen. On Monday, seven separate bombings in Baghdad killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 130.

The Iraqi government and the U.S. military blame Monday's series of attacks on the ousted Baath party and al-Qaida in Iraq, CNN said. Officials said the attacks were meant to create sectarian divisions.