Al-Qaida Claims Iraq Anti-Shiite Attack That Killed 25

Al-Qaida's front group in Iraq on Sunday claimed a suicide car bombing against the Baghdad headquarters of an Iraqi Shiite foundation that killed 25 people, in a statement posted on jihadist forums.

"One of the passionate sons of the Sunnis came out in a quick attack against this evil lair that is called the Shiite endowment," the Islamic State of Iraq said, according to a translation of the message by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group.

"Our heroic martyrdom-seeking brother, with the facilitation and granting of success from Allah, managed to ... detonate his car in the inner courtyard so that most of the internal structure and a large part of the external structure of the building were destroyed," the statement said.

The June 4 attack on the Shiite endowment, which manages Shiite religious sites and mosques across Iraq, left 25 people dead and at least 65 wounded.

Shortly after what was Baghdad's deadliest blast in over four months, an explosion struck near a Sunni religious foundation's headquarters in the capital, causing no casualties.

The attacks came amid a dispute between the two Muslim endowments which manage Iraq's religious landmarks over a shrine north of Baghdad.

Violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, but attacks remain common, especially in Baghdad. A total of 132 Iraqis were killed in violence in May, according to official figures.