by Deborah Haynes
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 20 (AFP) - A Filipino held hostage in Iraq was reportedly freed on Tuesday, while a senior figure in the southern city of Basra was gunned down in another high-profile killing by insurgents bent on derailing the new government.
Al-Arabiya television reported the release of truck driver Angelo de la Cruz, following the withdrawal of the Philippines military contingent from Iraq as demanded by the kidnappers despite sharp rebukes from Baghdad and Washington.
However, there was no immediate confirmation of the report.
High-profile killings, foreigner hostage-takings and bloody bombings against Iraq`s fledgling security services form a pattern of seemingly well organised rebellion against the government, which gained sovereignty just three weeks ago.
Hazem al-Ainachi, a coordinator on the Basra provincial council, and two of his guards were gunned down as they travelled to work, officials said.
"My father was killed as he was leaving home at about 8:00 am (0400 GMT) when unknown gunmen fired at him from near a checkpoint that is 100 meters (yards) from our place," said Issam al-Ainachi.
Ainachi`s death came after a defence ministry director general, Issam Jassem Kadhem, was murdered on Sunday night in Baghdad also by unknown assailants who escaped in a getaway car.
"It is very disappointing that somebody who has put themselves up as a representative of the people (should be killed)," said a spokesman for the British-led multinational force based in the south of the country.
"In one respect this is a reflection of why we are here in support of the Iraqi security forces to help them as they need and require to ensure a secure and safe environment," the spokesman added.
Iraq has also been rocked by a wave of car bombings over the past week that have left scores of people dead and injured and thrown up a serious challenge to Prime Minister Iyad Allawi`s government.
Underlining the risk of accepting a high-profile job under the new interim administration, Justice Minister Malek Dohan al-Hasan, emerged unscathed after a suicide car bomber hit his motorcade in on Saturday but three of his guards, including a nephew, were killed along with two civilians.
Al-Qaeda-linked militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack and has has also offered a 285,000-dollar reward for the death of Allawi.
Insurgents have waged an assassination campaign against police, civil servants and politicians in a bid to derail the new government and the country`s US-led reconstruction efforts.
The attacks have deterred many qualified Iraqis from accepting new positions of responsibility for fear of paying for the promotion with their life.
On top of the targeted killings of officials, Iraq`s 15-month insurgency has also snared dozens of foreign workers in a kidnapping drama. Some have been killed -- mostly by decapitation -- some released and others are still missing.
The reported release of the Filipino hostage, a father of eight, follows the liberation on Monday of an Egyptian held captive for two weeks by Islamic insurgents.
The last of the Philippines 51-strong contingent quit the country on Monday in a bid to meet the kidnappers demands.
It is the fifth country to withdraw its troops from the US-led forces in Iraq ahead of schedule, following Spain, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua.
There was also no fresh information on a Bulgarian truck driver also threatened with execution after his colleague was beheaded last week.
But Egypt was celebrating the release on Monday of Sayed Mohammed Sayed al-Garbawi, although it was unclear whether his employer had paid a ransom to secure the truck driver`s freedom.
As the violence spiralled three weeks after Iraq regained its sovereignty, Allawi embarked on the second day of a Middle East tour that started in Jordan, his first foreign outing since taking office.