A senior Iraqi police officer was shot dead Thursday in a driving-by shooting attack in southern

Baghdad, police said.

"Three gunmen opened fire at Major General Mohsen abdul Sada, assistant to the interior minister for intelligence affairs, and killed him, as he was driving his car heading to work," Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman, an interior ministry official told Xinhua.

The attack took place at 8:15 a.m. (0415 GMT) in the southern Dora district of Baghdad, Rahman said.

In a separate incident, Lie. Col. Alaa Khalil Ibrahim was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the east of the capital, he added.

Insurgents have repeatedly targeted senior Iraqi officials and US-trained security forces and police in an attempt to derail the political process in the country.

Source: Xinhua