Gunmen killed the police chief of the anti-corruption brigade and his deputy in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk late Wednesday, police said on Friday.

Col. Rahman Othman Sa'id, chief of anti-corruption police Brigade, and his deputy Col. Ghanim Jayad Jabbar, were killed in a drive-by shooting when unidentified gunmen, in a BMW car, opened fire at the victims' car in Kirkuk, the police said.

Sa'id was killed instantly while Jabbar died of his wounds in one of Kirkuk's hospitals, they added.

Insurgents have stepped up attacks on Iraqi troops and police since the Shiite-dominated government was sworn in late April.

Source: Xinhua