Iraq's bar association urged lawyers yesterday to stop working with the special court trying Saddam Hussein until the murder of a member of the defence team is solved. It also called for a one-day strike on Wednesday in protest at the killing of Saadoun Janabi, who was abducted from his Baghdad office by heavily armed men a day after he was seen on television challenging the legitimacy of the court. He was later found dead of gunshot wounds.

"The crime was clear and witnessed, and it should be easy for any investigatory agency to solve, so arresting the killers should not be difficult," the association's president, Khamal Hamdoon Mulla Allawi, told reporters. "The purpose behind this assassination was to prevent lawyers from doing their duty. Protecting lawyers will be possible only if the killers are caught and put behind bars."

Witnesses said Janabi's kidnappers identified themselves as employees of the interior ministry. Sunni Arab groups have accused the ministry of sponsoring hit-squads run by Shia militias. The ministry has denied the allegations, as well as any involvement in the murder, saying it was ready to strengthen security for defence lawyers. Some human rights groups said Janabi's murder could have a "chilling effect" and dim hopes for a fair trial.

Janabi was representing one of Saddam's seven co-accused at the start of their trial for crimes against humanity.

In northern Iraq yesterday a roadside bomb struck a car being driven by a police colonel, killing him, his two children and two young girls. Elsewhere, insurgents killed more than 15 Iraqis in shootings, bombs and suicide attacks. Five US soldiers were wounded in bombings.

The violence came after a week in which 23 American troops were killed, raising to 1,996 the number of military personnel who have died since the US invaded Iraq in March 2003.

The US military also confirmed yesterday that insurgents attacked a convoy of American contractors last month in the town of Duluiyah north of Baghdad, killing four and wounding two. The convoy also included US soldiers.

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