Gunmen in Iraq assassinated on Thursday a senior official of Mosul police station while he was going out of his house in the center of Mosul, about 400 km north of Baghdad, a source from local police told Xinhua.

"Unknown armed men opened fire at the officer while he was walking out of his house in the center city at about 7:30 a.m. (0330 GMT), and he was shot dead immediately," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is believed to be a

stronghold of insurgents, who frequently attack senior officials and security forces, accusing them of collaboration with U.S. occupation forces.

On Wednesday, Iraqi police exchanged fires with unidentified militants in Mosul, killing six militants and arresting three others.

Source: Xinhua