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From BBCnews.co.uk
A member of Iraq's Governing Council, Aqila al-Hashimi, has been shot and seriously wounded in Baghdad.
Ms Hashimi is one of three women on the 25-member Council
One report, quoting an unnamed Iraqi official, says she was hit twice in the stomach, once in the shoulder and once in the leg as she left her house in west Baghdad by car at about 0845 local time (0445 GMT).
Ms Hashimi was taken to Baghdad's al-Yarmouk hospital, where a doctor was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying she was in a critical condition with abdominal wounds.
Hospital officials said three of her bodyguards had also been injured in the attack.
Ms Hashimi was later moved in a US convoy to another hospital at an undisclosed location.
"It is an attack against the people of Iraq" Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq.
Locals at the scene and a security guard said Ms Hashimi's car crashed into a nearby garage after it was shot at by several gunmen in car.
The US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, has condemned the attack, saying he was "shocked and saddened by this horrific and cowardly act".
"This senseless attack is not just against the person of Aqila al-Hashimi," Mr Bremer said in a statement.
"It is an attack against the people of Iraq and against the common goals we share for the establishment of a fully democratic government," the statement said.
Ms Hashimi has been preparing to travel to New York next week as part of the Iraqi delegation to the United Nations General Assembly that hopes to occupy Iraq's seat at the UN.
Former Saddam official
Ms Hashimi, who is a Shia Muslim, is one of three women on the 25-member Governing Council, set up by Iraq's US administration in July as part of efforts to hand power over to Iraqis.
Her appointment surprised observers as she was the only council member who had worked for the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, having been a junior official in the foreign ministry.
She holds a doctorate in modern literature and is reported to have been a close colleague of former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz.
Ms Hashimi (left) visited the UN earlier this year
BBC correspondent Barbara Plett in Baghdad says it is not clear who shot her or why.
But some Iraqis have criticised the Council and the process by which it was set up, saying it is merely an extension of the coalition authority, with no real power or independence.
Iraqi insurgents have repeatedly attacked targets associated with or co-operating with the US-led occupation forces.
Our correspondent says criminal activity in Baghdad has surged in the lawless environment that has developed since the war.
A member of Iraq's Governing Council, Aqila al-Hashimi, has been shot and seriously wounded in Baghdad.
One report, quoting an unnamed Iraqi official, says she was hit twice in the stomach, once in the shoulder and once in the leg as she left her house in west Baghdad by car at about 0845 local time (0445 GMT).
Ms Hashimi was taken to Baghdad's al-Yarmouk hospital, where a doctor was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying she was in a critical condition with abdominal wounds.
Hospital officials said three of her bodyguards had also been injured in the attack.
Ms Hashimi was later moved in a US convoy to another hospital at an undisclosed location.
"It is an attack against the people of Iraq" Paul Bremer, US administrator in Iraq.
Locals at the scene and a security guard said Ms Hashimi's car crashed into a nearby garage after it was shot at by several gunmen in car.
The US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, has condemned the attack, saying he was "shocked and saddened by this horrific and cowardly act".
"This senseless attack is not just against the person of Aqila al-Hashimi," Mr Bremer said in a statement.
"It is an attack against the people of Iraq and against the common goals we share for the establishment of a fully democratic government," the statement said.
Ms Hashimi has been preparing to travel to New York next week as part of the Iraqi delegation to the United Nations General Assembly that hopes to occupy Iraq's seat at the UN.
Former Saddam official
Ms Hashimi, who is a Shia Muslim, is one of three women on the 25-member Governing Council, set up by Iraq's US administration in July as part of efforts to hand power over to Iraqis.
Her appointment surprised observers as she was the only council member who had worked for the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, having been a junior official in the foreign ministry.
She holds a doctorate in modern literature and is reported to have been a close colleague of former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz.
BBC correspondent Barbara Plett in Baghdad says it is not clear who shot her or why.
But some Iraqis have criticised the Council and the process by which it was set up, saying it is merely an extension of the coalition authority, with no real power or independence.
Iraqi insurgents have repeatedly attacked targets associated with or co-operating with the US-led occupation forces.
Our correspondent says criminal activity in Baghdad has surged in the lawless environment that has developed since the war.
