Several Shia Martyred and wounded in Iraq\'s violence

An employee in the Iraqi Housing Ministry was killed when gunmen using silenced weapons opened fire on him while driving his car in al-Waziriyah district in northern central Baghdad.

In a separate incident, a roadside bomb went off near a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims travelling in Taji area north of Baghdad, wounding four pilgrims, the source said.

Insurgents frequently attacked Iranian pilgrims who flock in large numbers to Iraq to visit holy Shiite shrines since the U.S.- led invasion in 2003 that toppled former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks continue in the Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease of violence over the last three years.