Iraqi police say a car bomb blast in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf has killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more.
Police say the blast occurred Wednesday morning near a police checkpoint in the center of the city, about 160 kilometers south of Baghdad.
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Najaf is home to the mausoleum of Imam Ali, the holiest site in Shi'ite Islam, and the offices of many leading Shi'ite clerics in Iraq.
Separately, the U.S. military said coalition forces carried out a series of raids Wednesday, targeting al-Qaida terrorists and supporters of foreign fighters. The military said seven terrorists were killed and 13 others detained during the raids in Ramadi, Fallujah and Baquba.
Earlier, the U.S. military announced the death of an American Marine, who was killed Tuesday during combat operations in the restive Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad.
Also Tuesday, Iraqi authorities said a suicide bomber killed at least seven people in an attack on mourners at a funeral in a mostly Shi'ite district in Baghdad.
U.S and Iraqi forces began a new security crackdown in the Iraqi capital last week.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP