Unicef staffer shot dead in Baghdad

Geneva: An Iraqi staff member of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has been shot dead in Baghdad, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Janan Jabero, 52, an engineer who had worked for Unicef since 1999, was killed on Monday night, but the agency did not know the motive nor who was responsible, said Unicef spokesman Damien Personnaz in Geneva.

"Initial reports from local authorities indicate that Mr Jabero...was shot while driving his car," the agency said in a statement.

"His death has cost Iraq's children a staunch advocate and we deeply mourn his loss," it said.

Personnaz told a briefing: "We don't know why he was shot or by whom. Local police are investigating."

Janan, one of 87 Iraqi nationals working for Unicef in the country, helped rebuild schools, especially in northern Kurdish provinces, he said. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Iraq has been racked by sectarian violence since the 2003 overthrow of former President Saddam Hussain, with over 20,000 people reported killed in 2006.