Top Iraqi General Killed by Sniper

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One of the highest-ranking generals in Iraq's new, U.S.-trained army was shot dead in Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military and Iraqi police said.

Major General Mubdar Hatim al-Dulaimi, commander of all Iraqi army forces in the capital, was killed by a sniper, police sources said. he was shot as he drove through western Baghdad.

As the commander of the 6th Division, among the first and biggest of Iraq's new army divisions formed by U.S. forces as part of their plans for eventual withdrawal, Dulaimi was among the most prominent officers in Iraq's security forces.

His troops have been in the front line of efforts for the past two weeks to prevent further sectarian bloodshed in the wake of an attack on a major Shi'ite shrine.

Iraqi leaders are concerned that further violence between Iraq's minority Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims could spark civil war.

There already is a civil war. That's what you call it when one portion of society is killing the other. Thank you, Dear Leader, for providing the stabilizing force of Democracy to the Middle East at the point of a gun. You're vision and careful planning have revolutionized the region.

Iraq Civil War Mubdar Hatim al-Dulaimi Assassination