An aide to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi was killed by gunmen on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said.

Haidar Mohammed Ali al-Dujaili, the head of Public Affairs Department of the Iraqi National Congress, was killed by gunmen at his home in southeastern Baghdad at around 5:00 a.m. (0100 GMT), the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Iraqi National Congress is a political party led by Chalabi. Gunmen opened fire at a convoy of Chalabi's officials south of the capital four days ago, killing one of his bodyguards.

Chalabi, once a Pentagon ally, who fell out with Washington later, came back to Iraq in April last year. He was once considered a potential Iraqi leader after the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

Source: Xinhua