Iraqi mourners attend the funeral of Mohammed Khalil al-Juburi, the most senior Arab member of the Kirkuk provincial council, on December 2, 2015. (AFP Photo)
Political leaders in Kirkuk today urged restraint and unity after the assassination of a top Sunni Arab politician in the northern Iraqi city sparked fears of a flare-up.
Mohammed Khalil al-Juburi, who headed the Arab bloc in the Kirkuk provincial council, was killed on Tuesday night when gunmen riddled his car with bullets.
His wife Fawzia, who was also in the vehicle, died of her injuries on Wednesday morning and the pair were buried later during a funeral attended by hundreds of people.
"The assassination of Juburi and his wife was aimed at the political unity of Kirkuk's residents and their representatives," Kirkuk Governor Najm al-Din Karim told AFP over phone.
"This cowardly and terrorist act is designed to stir up conflict and create rifts between the people of Kirkuk," he said.
"But they must stand against terrorism... and maintain the province's unity," Karim said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement in which he said he had ordered a thorough investigation into the killing.
Oil-rich Kirkuk is claimed by Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, which currently holds a large part of the province, and by the federal government in Baghdad.