Saddam's tribal chief assassinated

The head of Saddam Hussein’s tribe has been assassinated in the deposed dictator’s home town of Tikrit.

Gunmen in a pick-up truck opened fire on Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khattab while he was riding in a car on Sunday, the local governor said.

Al-Khattab, leader of Saddam’s Bani al-Nasiri tribe, was shot and his son was wounded during the attack, said the governor, Hussein al-Jubouri.