Iraqi police say a car bomb has exploded near a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and injuring some 40 others.
Police say the blast occurred in southwestern Baghdad just before Friday prayers.
Guerrillas bent on derailing Iraq's January 30th elections have mounted several attacks on Shi'ite shrines and clerics in recent months. Shi'ites strongly support the vote, while some members of the Sunni Muslim minority have called for a boycott of the balloting.
Separately, U.S. military officials in Iraq say U.S. soldiers raided the town of Ad Duluiyah, 100 kilometers north of Baghdad, shutting down a bomb-assembly workshop and arresting 12 suspected guerrillas.
A U.S. statement says one insurgent and one American soldier were killed during today's (Friday's) operation.
The raid followed distribution of a lengthy new message issued in the name of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's top terrorist suspect, calling for insurgents to prepare for years of struggle against U.S. forces in Iraq.
Information for this story is provided by Reuters and AP