Baghdad, Iraq – A roadside bomb exploded Thursday alongside the convoy of a prominent Shiite cleric whose high-level political ties have made him the target of past assassination attempts. The imam was not injured, but several bodyguards were wounded.
The attack against Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer came on one of Baghdad’s quietest days in months – with one reported car bombing and one fatality.
U.S. and Iraqi forces also neared agreement to expand the Baghdad security sweep into the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City.
Such a move would test the willingness of the powerful Mahdi Army militia to grant its American foes access to all parts of Baghdad under its control.
The relative lull in violence offered authorities a rare breather after periods of almost hour-by-hour bombings and mortar strikes by suspected Sunni insurgents.
But the calm was broken after nightfall. The rumbling of artillery fire was heard throughout Baghdad. In recent days, U.S. gunners have pummeled areas of south Baghdad used as suspected staging grounds for car bombings and other attacks.
There was no word from the military on the latest apparent barrage. Residents said the shelling was concentrated on the mostly Sunni area of Dora.
The barrage highlighted the enormous security challenges of a planned international conference on ways to rebuild and stabilize war-weary Iraq. The gathering hopes to bring together a broad range of Western and Islamic nations, including the United States and pivotal Iraq neighbors Syria and Iran.
Al-Sagheer, an ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told The Associated Press his convoy was attacked in a Sunni area of southwest Baghdad while en route from the airport.
“They targeted me again,” he said, but declined to point the finger at any specific group. He said several bodyguards were wounded.
Violence struck west of Baghdad on Thursday. In the Sunni militant stronghold of Fallujah, a bomb-rigged car exploded near a convoy of cars heading to a police officer’s wedding. At least five people were killed and 10 wounded, said police Lt. Wessam Mohammad. The bride and groom were not harmed.
In northern Iraq, meanwhile, a U.S. Army helicopter made a “hard landing,” but the military said the problem was mechanical and not the result of hostile fire. The two-member crew suffered injuries, the military said.
