At least 35 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in the Iraqi city of Najaf.
The bomb was detonated at the entrance to a market in the old city a short distance from the Imam Ali mausoleum. Najaf is a predominantly Shia city 160km south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
It has been the scene of some of the most deadly sectarian attacks since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
It is the latest in a series of bombings and shooting attacks that have poisoned relations between Iraq's majority Shia community and the once-dominant minority Sunnis.
US generals warned last week that sectarian bloodshed could push Iraq into civil war, despite attempts by the country's unity government to restore order and promote a national reconciliation plan.
