The aftermath of a series of bomb blasts in the Iraqi city of Kerbala.<br/> Four successive bombs killed at least 16 people, and wounded dozens more as they lined up outside a local government building.<br/> The first bomb ripped through a crowd of guards and civilians in front of an office issuing national ID cards and passports.<br/> The three other explosions went off as emergency services arrived at the scene.<br/> One local resident describes what happened.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AKRAM HAMEED, LOCAL RESIDENT, SAYING:<br/> "I woke up and heard an explosion so I went out to see. The first explosion was there in front of an office issuing national identity cards where there was a large crowd of people. We don't know how the car managed to drive up here. There are a lot of checkpoints and bomb detectors, so I don't know how it managed to enter. Three blasts happened in one hour."<br/> Kerbala, a major Shi'ite holy city 50 miles southwest of Baghdad, has been attacked many times in the past by Sunni Islamist insurgents targeting Shi'ite pilgrims.<br/> Travis Brecher, Reuters
