Region | Iraq
Gunmen ambush Iraq poll officials
Shiite cleric killed and 17 wounded, mostly policemen, in wave of bombings in Baghdad
- Agencies
- Published: 23:21 August 18, 2008
Baghdad: Masked gunmen ambushed a bus carrying electoral officials in southern Iraq on Monday, killing two and seriously wounding a third, officials said.
The attackers opened fire from a passing car in the Abu Al Khasib area south of Basra, which saw bitter infighting among Shiite factions before a US-backed Iraqi military operation curbed violence earlier this year.
Two top members of a local committee preparing for provincial elections were killed, according to police and the head of Basra's elections panel, Hazim Al Rubaie.
Upcoming elections are expected to redistribute power among Iraq's political and ethnic groups in what the US considers a necessary step toward reconciliation. But the date for the vote is uncertain because legislation has been stalled in the national parliament.
Also yesterday, mourners in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district fired guns in the air to show their grief during the funeral of Farooq Al Obaidi, deputy head of a group of US-allied Sunni fighters who was killed by a suicide bomber.
Meanwhile, a Shiite cleric was shot dead and 17 people, mostly Iraqi policemen, were injured in a wave of bombings in Baghdad yesterday, security sources said.
Shaikh Jaber Fares Dhaher was killed when insurgents attacked his car in the southern Baghdad neighbourhood of Zafaraniyah, interior ministry sources said. His wife and daughter were also wounded.
Three separate bomb attacks targeting US and Iraqi forces also wounded 17 people in Baghdad, the sources added.
Share this article
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Diabetes: A ticking time bomb
Gulf News takes a closer look at the spread of diabetes in the UAE
-
Africa segment at Dubai film festival
Productions feature interesting mix of genres tackling serious issues
-
What to expect at the Dubai Airshow
We preview what types of aircraft to expect at the Dubai Airshow
