A senior government official has been shot dead in Iraq.
Kassim Imhawi, the Director General of the Communications Ministry, was killed by gunmen who drew up beside his car as he was driving to work in Baghdad.
Several senior officials in Iraq's ministries have been killed in recent months.
There have been warnings that insurgents are likely to step up their campaign of violence ahead of elections at the end of next month.
At least seven people were killed and 30 injured by a bomb in the holy city of Karbala yesterday, on the first day of the Iraqi election campaign.
Voters will elect a 275-member assembly that will appoint a government and draft a constitution.
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi announced he would stand at the polls on 30 January, backed by a 240-member list of candidates from his Iraqi National Accord party, intended to have a broad appeal.
In another development, US President, George W Bush, has warned Iran and Syria against interfering in Iraq ahead of the elections.
President Bush said he expected all of Iraq's neighbours to stop the flow of people and money that could be of use to terrorists.
He was speaking at a White House news conference after meeting the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.
