Translator killed in Iraq

In the northern city of Mosul, Khalid Victor, a translator working for the municipal administration, and his son were killed today when gunmen opened fire at their car.

Gunmen killed Khalid Victor Paul, an interpreter, and his teenage son, Leith, as they were driving to a school. It was the third time since Oct. 29 that Iraqis supporting the occupation had been killed in Mosul, about 215 miles north of Baghdad. Paul, 41, had been under threat for weeks. Letters had been slipped under the door of his Mosul home telling him to quit. A week ago, someone broke into his house and stole only one item: a rifle. "Khalid believed the message was clear," his widow, Shada Konstantin Abdullah, said during an interview. "You have no protection."

Cars filled with glowering men followed his son and daughter home from school. Paul had only days ago transferred his son to a school close to home.

It made no difference. At 7:30 a.m. Saturday, as Paul's Toyota pulled onto the main road, a blue Volkswagen Passat reportedly pulled alongside him. Someone inside opened fire.