Gunmen kill anti-government protest organizer in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD – Iraqi officials say an anti-government protest organizer has been killed in a drive-by-shooting in the country's north.

Police Lt. Col. Wisam Abdullah says gunmen shot and killed Bunyan Sabar al-Obeidi Sunday morning as he was driving his car in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad.

A morgue official confirmed receiving the body of the organizer.

Police says al-Obeidi, who is also a spokesman for the Sunni protesters in Kirkuk, escaped an assassination attempt last week.

Last Friday, police opened fire on Sunni demonstrators in the northern city of Mosul, killing one protester and wounding five others.

Sunnis have been staging mass protests since last December following the arrest of bodyguards assigned to a Sunni minister.