Baghdad  - One person was killed and seven injured on Saturday in a bomb blast in northern Baghdad, police said.

The bomb went off in the al-Qahira neighborhood, damaging nearby shops and vehicles, the Voices of Iraq news agency reported.

Meanwhile, a prominent al-Qaeda-in-Iraq leader was killed in the north of the Iraqi capital during an operation by Iraqi forces, Sahwa fighters and coalition forces, a US army statement said on Saturday.

The statement said that Abu Ghazwan was killed on Thursday in the Tarmiyah area, north of Baghdad.

The statement described Abu Ghazwan as "a key link in the network operations for al-Qaida in Iraq."

It added that he commanded numerous terrorist cells in the Taji and Tarmiyah areas, and advised and financed other terrorist cells throughout northern Iraq. (dpa)