A member of the Eyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc that won Iraq's March parliamentary election was shot dead on Saturday, the second Iraqiya politician to be killed since the vote, the bloc announced. The victim, Faras al-Jubouri, was a candidate on Iraqiya's list for parliament but did not win a seat, Reuters reported.
A police source said Jubouri was shot dead by gunmen in police uniform overnight in his home near the northern city of Mosul. According to the source, the men searched several homes in Jubouri's village saying they were looking for mortars. On entering Jubouri's hpuse, "they tied up his brother and when he came downstairs they opened fire and killed him," he said.
Iraqiya said Jubouri's killing was political.
"Iraqiya was targeted before the election, and the attacks are continuing," senior Iraqiya official Intisar Allawi was quoted as saying by Reuters. "We don't know who we will lose next. We call on the government to provide protection for winning candidates."
The Supreme Court on June 1 certified the results of the election, affirming Iraqiya's narrow victory.
