Second defense lawyer of Saddam Hussein killed

One lawyer, member in the defendant commission for the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his senior aides was killed, and another was injured when gunmen opened fire at a car carrying them on Tuesday afternoon west of Baghdad.

Lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi said that his colleague, assigned to defend Taha Yassin Ramadan, the former Iraqi vice president, was killed in an armed ambush at al-Adeel village, west of the capital Baghdad.

Another lawyer was injured in the same attack. He is Thamer Hammoud al-Khuza' who is defending Barazan al-Takriti, brother of Saddam Hussein.

This is, however, the second attack to target lawyers who have links with the trial of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and seven of his aides in what is known al-Dajil case trial which started in October.

Lawyer Sadoun al-Janabi, who was defending one of Saddam's aides was killed in a similar attack one day after the beginning of the trial of the former Iraqi president and senior of his aides in Baghdad in October.

The defense commission for Saddam Hussein appealed the International community to move in order to transfer the trial outside Iraq so as to guarantee their safety over what they considered a great danger on their life.

Khalil al-Duleimi, one of Saddam's lawyer described in a statement to al-Jazeera that the assassination operations is an attempt to frighten every and each one who proposes to defend members of the former regime.

Al-Duleimi described the trial of Saddam as illegal and called on the US and the Iraqi government to put an end to such acts which were described as barbaric.