BAGHDAD, Sept 1: Gunmen ambushed and killed a senior aide to Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr and two other people on the road between the holy city of Najaf and Baghdad, an official from the movement and relatives said on Wednesday.

Sayed Bashir al-Jazaeri was killed Tuesday when his car came under fire as he was returning from Najaf, which was until recently the scene of fierce fighting between US forces and Sadr's militia, a spokesman for one of the cleric's offices said.

Jazaeri headed one of Sadr's local offices near the capital, said Sayed Naim al-Qaabi. Jazaeri's brother Said Saleh Abu Razak al-Jazaeri said a second person was killed in the vehicle and another person was wounded. Another vehicle drove up behind and was also hit by gunfire, killing another man. -AFP