Sister of Iraqi vice president gunned down in Baghdad

Gunmen have killed the sister of Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi. Meysoun al-Hashemi was shot dead in a suburb of Baghdad. On April 13, one of the politician’s brothers was also killed. It is the latest attack on Sunni political figures – the brother of another leading Sunni was found dead this month after he had been kidnapped.

Hashemi was appointed vice-president last Saturday. His Iraqi Islamic Party is the largest in the main Sunni bloc and was the first to join the US-backed political process. He made his first appearance in his new role yesterday. During a press conference he vowed to go ahead with efforts to form a national unity government and to try and avoid a sectarian civil war.