At least 23 people were injured Sunday in a car bomb in the southern Iraqi city of Najef, where it was the first such incident in a year, said medical and security sources.
The bombing occurred near a restaurant in the centre of Najef, some 180 kilometres south of the capital Baghdad, the sources added, dpa reported.
The blast damaged the restaurant and shops in its vicinity, local media said, citing police sources.
Najef, home to holy sites for Muslim Shiites, does not often experience violence.