Gunmen in Iraq have attacked the convoy of a deputy health minister, a day after an ambush in which another deputy health minister was kidnapped.

"We as health ministry officials have become a target," said Hakim Zamili.

Two of Mr Zamili's bodyguards were killed in the attack in Baghdad's central al-Fadil district.

Reports say more than 100 people have been killed in Iraq the last 24 hours, piling pressure on the government to solve the spiral of sectarian violence.

On Sunday, Ammar al-Saffar, who holds the same rank as Mr Zamili, was kidnapped on Sunday from his home in Baghdad's Sunni district of Adhamiya.

The health ministry is headed by a group loyal to the Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, whose Mehdi Army militia is accused of involvement in sectarian attacks by Iraq's Sunni Muslim community.

Syrian visit

The violent instability comes as Syria's foreign minister is holding talks with senior Iraqi politicians in Baghdad on the second day of his landmark visit.

Walid Muallim is the most senior Syrian official to visit Iraq since the American-led invasion in 2003.

There are calls in the US and Britain for Syria to become directly involved in helping improve the security situation in Iraq.

On Sunday, Mr Muallim called for the unity of Iraq to be preserved, and for a timetable for foreign troops to leave.

The United States has regularly accused Syria of failing to prevent foreign fighters from entering Iraq.

Meanwhile, the American military says two members of its forces have been killed - one in Anbar province, in western Iraq, and one in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad.

Photo Caption

Aftermath of bomb attack in Baghdad