A group led by Jordanian-born militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi has claimed killing of the governor of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul Wednesday.

"With God's grace, brothers in the military wing of the Tawhid and Jihad group (Unity and Holy War) have chopped the head of the renegade traitor, the governor of Mosul, in an ambush," said the group in a statement posted on www.ansarnet.ws/vb/showthread.php?t=11577 late Wednesday.

Youssef Kashmola, the Mosul governor, and two of his bodyguards were killed as his convey travelling toward Baghdad was hit by insurgents Wednesday.

The attackers threw a grenade at the vehicle carrying Kashmola and fired automatic weapons at it about 100 km south of Mosul.

Zarqawi, allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network, has a 25-million-dollar US bounty on his head.

His group has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks in Iraq, including killing foreign hostages.