US Diplomat Shot Dead in Sudan

A US diplomat has died of injuries suffered when he was shot five times early this morning as he rode through the streets of Khartoum, the AP reports. The attack immediately killed his driver. The shooting occurred a day after a joint African Union-United Nations force took over peacekeeping duties in Sudan's Darfur region, but it was unclear if the shooting was targeted or random.

Khartoum is considered a relatively violent city. The American official was a humanitarian aid officer with the US Agency for International Development, officials said. He was not immediately identified. He underwent surgery after being wounded in the belly, shoulder, and hand. The driver was a local Sudanese resident. US and Sudanese officials are investigating. (More Crisis in Darfur stories.)