In Baghdad, gunmen opened fire on Judge Hassan Ali Abdul Hussein while he was traveling by car through the Karada district. Hussein, who sits on Iraq's property claims commission, was wounded in the head and chest, police said.
The commission is supposed to settle Saddam Hussein-era disputes over property, particularly in places such as Kirkuk and surrounding Tamim province, where Kurds were expelled from their homes.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military announced that the fourth of five combat brigades sent to Iraq last year as part of a troop buildup would be leaving Iraq next month. The 4,000 soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Stryker brigade were stationed in Diyala province, a battleground for Shiite Muslim and Sunni Arab militants.
The U.S. military has said the final brigade would redeploy from Iraq by July, leaving 140,000 American troops in Iraq. U.S. commanders will then evaluate what effect the drawdown has had on Iraq's stability.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told Congress this month that he was optimistic about being able to call for more troop withdrawals in the fall.
In other developments, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki asked his nation's creditors at an international conference in Stockholm to cancel $60 billion in debt dating to Hussein's rule.
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ned.parker@latimes.com
