NEW YORK, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A design editor of a state run Iraqi newspaper has been shot and killed while on his way to work in Baghdad, the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday.

The committee condemned the murder of Abdel Karim al-Rubai, 40, who was the design editor for Al-Sabah newspaper and was shot on Saturday morning by several gunmen.

"Al-Sabah and its staff have become repeated targets for insurgents. We urge the authorities to bring those responsible for this murder to justice," the committee's Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement.

Al-Sabah reported two weeks ago that it had received a death threat via e-mail against al-Rubai and his family signed by the military wing of the Mujahideen Council, an al Qaeda affiliate in Iraq, the committee said.

The committee said that 78 journalists, including al-Rubai, and 28 media support workers have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. The majority of victims have been Iraqis.

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