Gunmen in Iraq assassinate mayor of Karbala

Abeer Salim Al-Khafaji, the mayor of Karbala, a city southwest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, was killed by gunmen. (File/INA)

• Al-Khafaji was killed while supervising a municipal campaign to stop abuses in the Al-Mamlji area
• He was shot along with two municipality employees, a security source said

LONDON: Abeer Salim Al-Khafaji, the mayor of Karbala, a city southwest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has been assassinated on Tuesday after being shot with three bullets to the chest.
Al-Khafaji was killed by gunmen while supervising a municipal campaign accompanied by security forces to stop abuses in the Al-Mamlji area, Iraq News Agency reported.
Earlier, a security source said Al-Khafaji was shot along with two municipality employees by individuals who opposed the removal of abuses, adding that the accident occurred on Al-Hur Road near Al-Safwa College in Al-Zahraa residential neighborhood.
Since the uprising of popular protests in Iraq in October 2019, more than 70 activists have been subjected to assassination attempts, while dozens of others have been kidnapped.