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Shot Iraqi politician buried
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Assassinated Iraqi Governing Council member Aquila al-Hashimi is being buried in a flag-draped coffin in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf. The procession accompanied by thousands of mourners arrived in her home town Friday one day after she died of wounds suffered in an ambush near her Baghdad home on September 20. Hashimi, 50, a Shiite Muslim, was the first member of the council targeted for assassination and was the leading candidate to become Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations. She was to have attended the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week. Council president Ahmad Chalabi blamed Saddam Hussein loyalists for her murder. No one has yet been arrested. The council had invited all Iraqis to take part in Friday's funeral procession which started from Hashimi's house in Baghdad and traveled to the main Shia mosque before going on to Karbala and finally Najaf. She came from a prominent Najaf family. Hashimi was one of three women on the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council and the only member to have held a high position in the Baath Party government of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Most of the 25 council members are Iraqi exiles. The council issued a statement saying Hashimi "fell martyr on the path of struggle for freedom and democracy in building of this great nation. "The heinous crime was committed by a godless and evil band known for its oppressions and injustices." Calling Hashimi "a brave and dedicated public servant," council president Chalabi said "we are deeply saddened." "Saddam Hussein and his gang of thugs continue to inflict terror on the Iraqi people but they will be defeated. "He will never stop millions of brave Iraqis uniting to build the free and democratic Iraq that he so fears." U.S. civilian administrator for Iraq, Paul Bremer called Hashimi "an inspiration to her nation," and offered condolences on behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority. She was shot in the leg and abdomen when gunmen opened fire on her convoy near her Baghdad home Saturday, Iraqi officials said. The attack wounded her brother, guard and driver. It was the first attack on Iraq's new leadership since coalition officials established the council several months ago.
Hashimi's brother suffered injuries when the car crashed; her driver was shot in the back; and her guard sustained a gunshot wound in arm. Local Iraqi guards fired on the attackers, killing one of them, according to Iraqi police. The attack happened around 7:30 a.m. Saturday when a group of at least four gunmen in a pick-up truck fired on Hashimi's two-car convoy as it left her home, according to police. The gunmen reportedly threw a grenade in the road to prevent anyone chasing them as they sped away. Police said the guards had spotted the same men hanging around the neighborhood for several days, possibly casing Hashimi's house. CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson, Correspondent Jason Bellini, and Senior U.N. Producer Liz Neisloss contributed to this report Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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