Sniper kills Iraqi army general

A senior Iraqi army general has been shot dead in western Baghdad, police sources have said.

Major General Mibdir Hatim al-Dulaimi was killed by a sniper while driving through the Gazaliya area of the city at about 1700 (1400 GMT).

Maj Gen Dulaimi is thought to have been responsible for security for part of the Iraqi capital.

He is also believed to be the most senior Iraqi officer to be killed since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Parliament session

It comes amid increased sectarian strife, triggered by a bomb attack on an important Shia shrine in Samarra on 22 February.

More than 400 people have died in violence since then, including several people in a wave of car bomb attacks in and around Baghdad on Monday.

The Iraqi government has imposed curfews and appealed to religious leaders to call for calm in sermons.

President Jalal Talabani has announced that parliament will sit for the first time on Sunday, starting the process for selecting new leaders.