BAGHDAD, Iraq — Gunmen ambushed diplomats from Bahrain and Pakistan in separate attacks in the capital yesterday, just three days after militants kidnapped Egypt's top envoy, in tactics that seemed aimed at scaring off foreign governments and isolating Iraq from the Arab world.

Hassan Malallah al-Ansari, the top-ranking diplomat at Bahrain's Baghdad mission, was shot and wounded when gunmen in a pickup tried to abduct him as he was driving alone in the capital's Mansour district, police said. In the afternoon, Pakistani Ambassador Mohammed Younis Khan escaped injury when gunmen in two cars fired on his convoy in the same neighborhood.

The two attacks came on the heels of the disappearance and apparent kidnapping of Ihad al-Sherif, chief of Egypt's diplomatic mission in Baghdad. A message posted on an Internet forum yesterday said the group calling itself al-Qaida in Iraq was holding al-Sherif, who was last seen Saturday night

Egyptian officials stated their intention last month to convert their diplomatic mission in Iraq into a full-fledged embassy, and al-Sherif was to be elevated to the status of ambassador.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reportedly telephoned her Egyptian counterpart to offer any help the U.S. government could provide in gaining al-Sherif's release.

Chief Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kuba said insurgents were targeting diplomats as part of a "psychological campaign" to keep other countries from establishing closer relations with Iraq's transitional government, which was formed in April.

A total of 49 countries or entities have diplomatic representation in Iraq, including 18 Arab or non-Arab Muslim countries, according to Iraq's Foreign Ministry and country Web sites.

The attacks were the rebels' response, he said, to a recent plea by Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari that more nations establish embassies in Iraq. The United States has joined in pressing other nations to increase their representation in Iraq.

Russia's government also said that cars belonging to its Baghdad embassy were fired on yesterday along the dangerous road between the city and the international airport. A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Moscow, however, said it did not appear that the gunfire was directed at the Russian vehicles, according to news services. And a roadside bomb exploded 50 yards from the Iranian Embassy, but a witness said the explosion appeared to have been timed to strike a passing U.S. military convoy.

In June, Egypt became the first Arab nation since the ouster of Saddam Hussein to announce that it would send an ambassador to Baghdad. Al-Sherif arrived here less than a month before his abduction, and was soon to assume the title of ambassador to Iraq.

"Lately many countries were pushed to open embassies in Baghdad, so it's not strange for the top envoy of the Egyptian Embassy to be kidnapped," said Kuba, the prime minister's spokesman. "It's clear that it's an attempt to reply and to plant terror with the other missions not to increase their presence in Iraq."

The insurgents' tactic appears to be working. Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Imashar issued a statement in Amman that his country would not send an ambassador to Baghdad until Iraq could provide the "right security environment."

Bahrain Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Yousef Mahmoud said the attack on its envoy was an "attempt to kidnap" al-Ansari, the Bahrain News Agency reported. The Bahraini government ordered al-Ansari to leave the country temporarily, according to news reports. His whereabouts late yesterday were unclear.

Bahrain is a U.S. ally and the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which contributed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is based in the tiny Persian Gulf state.

After the attack on Khan yesterday afternoon, Pakistan immediately relocated him to Amman, the capital of neighboring Jordan. Khan arrived in Baghdad just over two months ago.

Relatively junior diplomats lead most missions, and Arab governments fear upgrading representation would be seen as an endorsement of the U.S. military presence, widely opposed in the Middle East.

Tensions have arisen between some Arab countries and Iraq over issues such as support for the insurgency or talks with militants.

Iraq and Jordan tangled when Jordan expressed concern about Shiite dominance in the region and Baghdad complained that Jordan wasn't doing enough to stop insurgents from entering Iraq. After anti-Jordanian protests, Amman removed its top diplomat from Baghdad in March.

The Shiite-dominated Iraqis also are suspicious that Sunni-led Arab countries maintain backchannel contacts with Sunni Arab insurgents. Yesterday, Kuba suggested al-Sherif may have been abducted while on his way to meet with insurgents.

"The fact that he went out without security may have been because he was on his way to make such contacts," Kuba said. "The only recommendation is that contacting these armed groups is dangerous and has repercussions."

The U.S. Embassy, which is in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound, encouraged diplomats to carry out their work despite the danger. Most embassies are outside the protective walls of the Green Zone, which houses U.S. and Iraqi government headquarters.

"It's not going to prevent American diplomats from doing our jobs," Adam Hobson, a U.S. Embassy spokesman, wrote in an e-mail response to questions.

Compiled from The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Knight Ridder Newspapers and The Associated Press.