Spanish diplomat shot dead in Baghdad
( 2003-10-09 16:39) (Agencies)
A Spanish diplomat in Iraq was shot dead as he left his home in Baghdad Thursday, a Spanish foreign ministry spokesman said.
The victim, Jose Antonio Bernal, was described as an information attache in the Iraqi capital.
"He was assassinated about 8:45 a.m. Spanish time (0645 GMT) upon leaving his home. It appears it was done with a firearm," the spokesman told Reuters.
Spain has about 1,300 troops in Iraq, mostly concentrated in Shi'ite Muslim areas south of Baghdad. The Spanish government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was an unflagging supporter of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.
Occupation forces and diplomats in Baghdad have become targets in Iraq of what the Americans consider elements loyal to ousted President Saddam Hussein.
The United Nations headquarters has been hit twice by suicide bombs, including a major attack on August 19 that killed 22 people including the lead U.N. diplomat in Baghdad, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The Jordanian embassy was hit by a truck bomb on August 7 that killed at least 17 people.
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