Gunmen killed a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani,
Iraq's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric, along with the aide's son and
four bodyguards in a town south of Baghdad, an official in the cleric's
office said Thursday. Insurgents trying to derail Iraq's Jan. 30
elections appeared to be sending a message to al-Sistani, who strongly
supports the vote. Insurgents have targeted electoral workers and
candidates. Elsewhere, gunmen opened fire on a minibus picking up a
Turkish businessman from the Bakhan Hotel in central Baghdad on
Thursday, killing six Iraqis and kidnapping the Turk, who reportedly
ran a construction company that worked with U.S.-led occupation
authorities. Sheik Mahmoud Finjan, al-Sistani's representative in the
town of Salman Pak, 10 miles southeast of Baghdad, was shot dead
Wednesday night as he was returning home from a mosque where he
performed the evening prayers, the official said on condition of
anonymity. [more]
Pictured above: Blood stains the
road where gunmen opened fire on a minibus picking up a Turkish
businessman identified by police as Abdulkadir Tanrikulu from a central
Baghdad hotel, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2005. [more]
Insurgents Kill Senior Baghdad police deputy shot dead and his son [more] and [more]
After Threats, Iraqi Electoral Board Resigns [more]
Secrecy surrounds Iraq vote: Concerned about violence, some political parties won't even reveal candidate lists. [more]
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