Gunmen Assassinate Prominent Iraqi Judge

BASRA, Iraq – A prominent Iraqi judge was assassinated Saturday by two gunmen on a motorcycle in the southern port city of Basra (search), police said.

Taha al-Basri (search), a former chief judge at Basra's highest criminal court, was gunned down as he drove to work, said Lt. Col. Karim al-Zaidi, an information officer at Basra's police headquarters.

The judge's bodyguard was seriously wounded in the attack and was taken to a hospital, al-Zaidi said.

Insurgents in Iraq have frequently targeted Iraqi government officials.