Iraqi Comedian Shot to Death in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen killed a veteran Iraqi actor and comedian known for his stage portrayal of the lighter side of life in Baghdad during Ottoman rule in the early 1900s, police said Wednesday.

Mitashar al-Sudani, 60, was killed as he drove to theater offices on Haifa Street in Baghdad on Tuesday, a police officer and an official at Iraq's Theater and Cinema Ministry said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Al-Sudani was shot multiple times, suggesting that the gunmen had singled him out. Armed groups have often killed prominent figures in politics, sports, the media and other fields, apparently as part of a campaign to create a climate of fear and intimidation.

The actor, a native of the southern city of Basra, appeared on television and in stage comedies. In the 1980s, during the rule of Saddam Hussein, he starred in a play in which he used proverbs to poke fun at life in Baghdad when it was controlled by the declining Ottoman Empire.

But he also gave serious performances, and he was a familiar face to many Iraqis for decades _ even though many of his roles were minor.

On Nov. 20, another popular comic actor was killed. Walid Hassan, 47, was the star of "Caricature," a weekend satire on Al-Sharqiyah TV known for its dark humor about Iraq's many problems.

His weekend program poked fun at the country's poor security, long gas lines, electricity blackouts and ineffective politicians, providing desperately needed comic relief.

After the 2003 U.S. invasion, Haifa Street for a time became the scene of almost daily gunfights between insurgents and U.S. and Iraqi troops.

In December 2004, gunmen pulled election workers from a car in morning traffic on the street and shot them. Security on the street has improved since then, but remains tenuous.