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Mar. 07 (BBC News) - Iraq's second parliamentary election since the 2003 invasion has been hit by multiple attacks, with at least 35 people being killed.
Two buildings were destroyed in Baghdad and dozens of mortars were fired across the capital and elsewhere.
Despite the violence, there were long queues of voters at polling stations in a number of cities.
Polls closed at 1700 (1400 GMT) but people already in line were allowed to cast their votes.
An immense security operation was mounted, involving more than 500,000 Iraqi security personnel.
The border with Iran was closed, thousands of troops were deployed, and vehicles were banned from roads.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki had called on voters to turn out in large numbers, saying that participation would boost democracy.
In Washington US President Barack Obama hailed an "important milestone in Iraqi history" and congratulated Iraqis on their courage.
"Today, in the face of violence from those who would only destroy, Iraqis took a step forward in the hard work of building up their country," he said.
There were mortar, grenade and bomb attacks in Baghdad and in other cities, including Mosul, Falluja, Baquba and Samarra.
But the capital was hardest hit, with dozens of mortar shells falling in several neighbourhoods. Twenty-five people were killed in one explosion that destroyed a residential building in the north of the city.
Despite the attacks, turnout was reported to have been steady in Baghdad and elsewhere.
Queues were also reported at polling stations in Sunni areas of the country, where many people in 2005 decided not to vote.
The election took place against a backdrop of much-reduced violence, with casualty figures among civilians, Iraqi forces and US troops significantly lower than in recent years.
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