The Iraqi authorities have placed Baghdad under a partial curfew in the wake of the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The curfew bans all vehicles from moving along the streets of Baghdad and nearby Baquba - where al-Zarqawi was killed - between 11am (0700 GMT) and 5pm, coinciding with Friday prayers.

An Iraqi defense ministry official said: "The curfew is a measure to keep people in doors as there could be more bombings like the ones last night, following Zarqawi's death."

Three bombs killed 26 people in predominantly Shia areas of Baghdad yesterday.

Iraqi reaction

Iraqis around the country have reacted largely along sectarian lines to the news of al-Zarqawi's death.

He was mourned in Anbar province, the heart of the Sunni-led resistance.

Abid al-Duleimi, 40, said: "This is a black day in Ramadi. This a great loss for all the Sunnis.

"If they killed al-Zarqawi, more than one al-Zarqawi will come out."

In the Shia Sadr City area of Baghdad, there was a positive view.

Anwar Abdul Hussein, a baker, said: "We hope the killing of al-Zarqawi and his aides, those who killed many Iraqis, will finish all the terror in Iraq and let everybody live safely."

While many Iraqis welcomed the news of his death, they also expressed skepticism that it would stem the sectarian and militia violence taking place across the country.

Yassir al-Hamdani, 25, a student in the northern city of Mosul, said: "The killing of al-Zarqawi will not change the bad security situation unless the Iraqi government eliminates all the terrorists."

Abdul-Amir Ahmed Ali, speaking in the Shia holy city of Najaf, called on the Iraqi government to take advantage of the vacuum left by al-Zarqawi's death to strike against other militia groups.

"Killing Zarqawi made us very happy ... but we have some fears that the followers of this criminal will try to undermine this happiness," the 56-year-old carpenter said.

"I hope the government will hit with an iron fist. I hope this day will be a turning point in the life of the Iraqis."

An Iraqi soldier at the site of an explosion in Baghdad on Thursday