BAGHDAD, Oct. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Akil al-Adili, deputy governor of Diyala province in eastern Iraq, was shot dead by unknown gunmen onFriday, police sources said.

    The assailants opened fire at his car, killing him and injuring one of his bodyguards, said the sources.

    Three men attacked the official as he went to an estate agencyin the city, 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a police officer said, adding the owner of the agency was also injured.

    Adili, a Shiite Muslim independent, was the target of failed assassination attempts in August. He is also the second high-profile figure to be killed in the province this week.

    On Tuesday, another Shiite member of the regional council, Nahma Abed Saleh, was killed by unknown assailants in the same area. Iraq's US-backed security forces and local political figures are top targets in an insurgency that not ches up victims every day, according to media reports. Enditem