Senior judge shot dead in Baghdad

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A high-ranking judge has been shot dead along with his driver by gunmen in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, officials say.

Appeals Court Judge Amir Jawdat Naeib was being driven to work through Mansour district in the west of the city when his car was ambushed.

The attackers sped away in another car after the shooting, police said.

Correspondents say professional people, such as judges, lawyers, and doctors, have often been singled out for attack in Iraq in recent years.

However, assassinations of prominent individuals have decreased in recent months as US and Iraqi forces cracked down on insurgents and lawlessness.

Mr Naeib was also a member of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council which supervises the judiciary and nominates senior judicial officials.