BAGHDAD, Aug. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Gunmen assassinated a senior police officer in eastern Baghdad on Monday, an Interior Ministry source
told Xinhua.

    "Unknown armed men opened fire at Brig. Gen. Numan Salman Thabit, an Interior Ministry officer, as he was driving his car near al-Nedaa mosque in eastern Baghdad," the source said on condition of anonymity.

    Thabit was assigned to work at the Iraqi electoral commission, which supervises the country's referendum and elections, the source
said.

    In a separate incident, armed men gunned down Muhammed Radhi al-Haidari, a civil aviation engineer at about 8:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) Monday in Jihad district in southwestern Baghdad, the source added.

    Insurgents frequently target senior officers of Iraqi security forces and government employees, whom they accuse of collaborating with occupation forces. Enditem