A bodyguard of Iraq's Justice Undersecretary is seen through a bullet riddled windshield after he was killed in a shooting in western Baghdad, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005. Undersecretary Awshoo Ibrahim who was driving to work when his car and convoy came under heavy fire, escaped unharmed although police said four of his bodyguards were killed and another five injured. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed).
Iraqi deputy minister escapes assassination attempt
August 24, 2005 - 8:29PM
A deputy justice minister escaped death on Wednesday when gunmen fired at his convoy, police said.
It was the second attempt against Undersecretary Awshoo Ibrahim in as many days.
The latest attack occurred at 9am (local time) when gunmen fired on Ibrahim's motorcade in western Baghdad, said police Captain Mohammed Khayoun.
A witness at the scene of the shooting today told Associated Press Television News that the motorcade was attacked by gunmen.
However, the five wounded bodyguards said they were shot at by US troops.
"American troops opened fire on the three-vehicle Land cruiser convoy without any reason," Nasir Bayan said from his hospital bed. His four colleagues in the same room also said they were attacked by Americans.
A US Bradley fighting vehicle could been seen in the area after the attack, but spokesmen for Task Force Baghdad said they had no information on the incident.
The Justice Ministry said Ibrahim had escaped an attack in a nearby area on Tuesday. Four bodyguards were wounded.
AP
Baghdad Hit by Boldest Attack in Weeks
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Dozens of insurgents wearing black uniforms and masks launched the boldest assault in Baghdad in weeks, attacking Iraqi police Wednesday with multiple car bombs and small-arms fire that killed at least 13 people and wounded 43.
The violence came as politicians struggled to end a stalemate over the nation's draft constitution.
Iraq's president appealed to faction leaders to win Sunni Arab approval for the charter, so parliament can send it to the public in an Oct. 15 referendum. Sunni clerics condemned the document as too secular and a threat to national unity. A rift Wednesday among the majority Shiites threatened to complicate parliament's efforts further.
The brazen daylight attack started about 3:15 p.m. with three car bombs � two piloted by suicide drivers � blasting police patrols in a Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad, police said.
Gunmen then attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, using what the U.S. military refers to as "swarm tactics" � an innovation by an insurgent force U.S. officials acknowledge is becoming more sophisticated.
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