The Basra Hospital Director Dr. Haidar Al-Baaj was shot dead after leaving his clinic in the al-Ashar area, in central Basra, the BBC reported on Thursday. The report quoted medical sources as saying al-Baaj was rushed to hospital but died shortly later from his wounds. No party claimed responsibility for the attack.
Elsewhere, an explosion hit a police station early Thursday in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, wounding a policeman, the head of the station said.
The bomb detonated outside the Domizz police station at 7:10 am (local time), Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Qader Ahmad told AFP.
Meanwhile, the U.S. occupation forces are inclined to confront a Shiite Muslim cleric whose supporters have fought recent gunbattles with both American troops and other Shiite groups, Pentagon officials said, according to AFP.
The options include arresting Muqtada al-Sadr, the sources said. (Albawaba.com)
