Gunmen gun down PUK official in Diala

DIALA / Aswat l-Iraq: Unidentified gunmen shot and killed an official from the social office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Jalawlaa district in Diala, the chief of local police said. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on Ali Sirwan Kobkha Mahmoud, the official of the social office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in Jalawlaa, southwest of Khaneqeen, killing him on the spot,” Ahmed Khaliefa al-Qassab told IraqiNews.com. “They killed Mahmoud in al-Shuhadaa neighborhood in central Jalawlaa before fleeing to unknown place,” he added. The PUK is one of the two main parties in Kurdistan region and headed by President Jalal Talabani. Jalawlaa is one of the disputed areas between the federal and Kurdish governments. It is located 155 northeast of Baaquba, the capital of Diala, which is 57 km northeast of Baghdad. SH (P)/SR 1