Senior official at Sunni institution slain in Baghdad

A senior official of a government department that manages Sunni mosques was killed Monday night by unidentified gunmen, a colleague said.

Naji Mohammed al-Eithawi was driving home after offering the sunset prayers at al-Hameed mosque in a southwest &to=http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/397/14569_tiger.html' target=_blank>Baghdad neighborhood when gunmen opened fire from a passing vehicle, Zoheir al-Taan, another senior official at the Sunni Endowments said.

Al-Eithawi, who was 55 and is survived by a wife and six children, has at times acted as a spokesman for the Sunni Endowments and was a regular contributor to Iraqi newspapers.

He delivered the Friday sermon in one of Baghdad's mosques, the only time when he sheds Western suits for a clerical robe and turban.