4, April 2005	Monday	24 Safar 1426

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MOSUL, April 3: Four people, including a foreign security contractor, were killed on Sunday and the body of two army officers were discovered north of Baghdad, hospital and security sources said.

A foreigner, with western features, working as a private guard, was killed and others in his convoy were wounded when they were ambushed near Balad, 70 kilometres from Baghdad, said police Colonel Hameed Ahmed.

The dead man’s body lay 20 metres from a sports utility vehicle that was on fire, Ahmed said.

In Mosul, two traffic policemen were gunned down by insurgents at around 11:30 am (0730 GMT) in the western al-Islah al-Zirahi district, said Police Major Mohammed Fathi.

Mosul’s general hospital confirmed the deaths.

Lieutenant Colonel Ziro Khalil Yunis was shot once in the stomach. He was in civilian clothing and carried Iraqi army and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan identification cards, said Ahmed Abdullah Rajab of the Medical City Hospital.

A corpse was also discovered near Himreen in Salahuddin province, said Major Mohammed Wadi, adding that police believed the corpse was that of a captain kidnapped one month ago with five other soldiers in Salman Bek.

An Iraqi government employee was killed at 1:30 pm (0930 GMT) in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad’s western al-Bayaa neighborhood, the interior ministry said.—AFP