BAGHDAD, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of paramilitary Hashd Shaabi was assassinated Sunday by gunmen southwest the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a police source said.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire at the car of Qasim al-Zubaidi, head of finance office in the Hashd Shaabi, while driving in Baiyaa district, Major Abdullah Hussein from Baghdad police told Xinhua.
Zubaidi received fatal wounds in the attack and died after he was transferred to hospital, Hussein said.
The incident occurred despite dramatic improvement in security situation in Baghdad, particularly after the Iraqi forces defeated the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq in December last year.
It also came days before the country's landmark parliamentary election slated for May 12.