NAJAF, Sept 28: A bomb exploded outside the house of a bodyguard of Shia leader Moqtada al Sadr in Najaf on Wednesday, killing at least six people, an aide to Sadr said.

Sahib al Amiree said the blast also wounded eight people. Najaf has been relatively calm compared to central Iraq, where a Sunni resistance is raging.

Moqtada Sadr, a fiery leader who has led fighters against US troops, is a popular figure in Iraq.

Najaf has been stable since his Mehdi Army militia fought US troops in the city last November.

Moqtada Sadr’s supporters recently clashed with fighters in the Iranian-trained Badr Brigade movement, which is linked to one of the Shia-based parties leading the country’s US.-backed government. —Reuters