Gunmen open fire on Iraqi minister's convoy, kill one

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on the motorcade of Iraq's higher education minister on a highway in southern Baghdad on Wednesday, killing one of his guards, the minister told Reuters.

"We came under fire at different points along the highway. One of my guards was killed and another was shot in the head and seriously wounded," said minister Abd Dhiab al-Ajili, a Sunni.

Ajili said he was heading to work when his convoy was attacked in southern Dora, a predominantly Sunni district that is a dangerous part of Baghdad. U.S.-led troops struggled to quell violence in an offensive there last summer.

"I was surprised. There were no police, no army and no U.S. soldiers. It was as if the area was empty," he said.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070124/wl_nm/iraq_minister_dc