BEIJING, Jan. 14 -- Gunmen have killed the representative of Iraq's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric in the town of Salman Pak, along with his son and four bodyguards in a town south of Baghdad.

Related Event: Iraq After War

    Gunmen have killed the representative of Iraq's most senior Shiite Muslim cleric, along with his son and four bodyguards in a town south of Baghdad.

    The representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the town of Salman Pak, 12 miles southeast of Baghdad, was shot dead on Wednesday night as he was returning home from a mosque.

    Ali al-Sistani's office confirmed the representative's son and four bodyguards were also killed in the incident.

    The killing appears to be a message for al-Sistani who strongly supports the holding of general elections on January 30.

    Meanwhile, Iraqi police said Thursday militants also killed six people near a hotel in central Baghdad and kidnapped a Turkish businessman.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)