Iraqi authorities say the local leader of a militia opposed to al-Qaida and his two sons have been killed near a town north of capital.

A police officer gunmen fatally shot Hussein Muslah and his sons Friday morning as they left their house in a village near Dujail, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad.

A health official in a nearby hospital confirmed the death toll.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

Muslah was a leader in the pro-government group known as Sahwa, which joined with U.S. troops in the war against al-Qaida at the height of Iraq war. Ever since, it has been a target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors.