July 26 (Bloomberg) -- An Iraqi Interior Ministry official and seven other people were killed today by attackers in the capital Baghdad, the northern city of Mosul and Basra in the south, military and government officials said.

Musab al-Awadi, who worked for the Interior Ministry's Department of Tribal Affairs, and two of his bodyguards were shot early today by unidentified gunmen near his home in Baghdad's al- Baya district, ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim said by telephone from Baghdad.

Three Iraqis, including a child, died when a car bomb exploded at about 8 a.m. local time near Mosul airfield, the U.S. military said. The driver also died. In Basra, where the U.K.'s 8,400 soldiers are based, gunmen fired on a minibus carrying workers to the airport, killing two women and injuring three, Flight Lieutenant Mike Cannon said by telephone.

The Iraqi administration of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has been struggling to establish security in the country since gaining sovereignty from the U.S.-led coalition four weeks ago. Iraqi officials, the police and the military have been subjected to attacks, prompting Allawi to introduce a security law allowing him to fight insurgents.

Secretary of State Colin Powell this morning left Washington for a trip that will take him to Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, among other stops, for discussions on Iraq and other topics, department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Foreigners Kidnapped

Foreigners in Iraq remain the target of kidnappers, with dozens taken hostage in Iraq since April. The latest are two Jordanian drivers employed by a company contracted to the U.S. forces, the Associated Press said.

The kidnappers, calling themselves the Mujahedeen Corps, today said they would kill the men in three days if the company doesn't pull out of Iraq, AP said, citing a video it obtained. Agence France-Presse said the company is Daoud and Partners.

Two Pakistanis working for the U.S. and an Iraqi are being held by another group, the Islamic Army, according to a video from the captors televised by al-Jazeera today. The group said it would kill the men if their employer, Kuwait-based al-Tamimi, doesn't withdraw its workers, the Qatari news channel reported.

Hostages, including an American and a South Korean, have been beheaded in Iraq after their governments refused to accede to demands made by kidnappers. A Philippine hostage was freed last week after the Philippines withdrew its troops from Iraq a month before their scheduled departure.

An Egyptian diplomat, Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb, was released by Iraqi kidnappers after three days, Egypt's government- run Middle East News Agency said. Qutb was taken by the so-called Lions of Allah Brigade after Egypt said it would help Iraq's interim government with security aid.

Buhritz Unrest

The captors of seven truck drivers who were kidnapped last week said they will hold off their threat to start killing the hostages today to allow negotiations for their release to take place, AFP said, citing a statement it received from the group called the ``Holders of the Black Banners.'' The statement couldn't be verified, AFP said. Three Kenyans, three Indians, and an Egyptian are held by the group.

The U.S. military earlier said the Mosul attack was a truck bomb. The vehicle used was loaded with rockets and mortars that didn't explode. Five people, including three U.S. soldiers, were wounded in the blast, the military said.

The workers who died in Basra were employed by Hart Security, a British company, Cannon said. There was also a report of a blast in the city at about 11:30 a.m., he said.

Iraqi National Guard soldiers yesterday killed 15 insurgents near the northern town of Buhritz, the U.S. military said today in a separate statement. The military yesterday said 13 had been killed in the clash.

Separately, the U.S. has granted protected-person status to a 3,800-member Iranian opposition group based in Iraq, the Mujahedin-e Khalq. While the group is still designated a foreign terrorist organization, its members will enjoy protection under the Geneva Conventions and will likely avoid the possibility of being traded to Iran in exchange for al-Qaeda members being held in Iran, Middle East analyst Anthony Cordesman said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net. James Cordahi in Dubai on cherifcord@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 26, 2004 17:34 EDT