Iraqi provincial governor dies after grenade attack on convoy

INSURGENTS yesterday killed an Iraqi provincial governor and two of his guards in a grenade attack on his convoy.

Osama Youssef Kashmoula, the governor of the northern Nineveh province, was attacked with machine gun fire and grenades as he was travelling to the capital, Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said.

The US military said the governor was wounded in the attack, which happened between Beji and Tikrit, and later died in hospital.

Mosul is the largest city in Nineveh province and insurgents there have repeatedly attacked local officials, who are seen as collaborating with American forces.

Mosul was the scene of several attacks less than a week before the handover of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government on June 28.

A car bombing and a series of assaults in the city killed 44 people and wounded 216.

Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for that attack, which was part of a series of assaults on the police and security forces that claimed around 100 lives.

His group has also said it murdered US hostage Nicholas Berg, South Korean Kim Sun-il and a Bulgarian captive.

The US is offering $25 million (€20 million) for information leading to al-Zarqawi’s capture.