Baghdad: Militants at a fake checkpoint shot three truck drivers dead on Tuesday in an ambush, and bombings killed six people, as the deadliest violence in years plagues Iraq.
Gunmen killed the three drivers early today at their checkpoint on a road in central Iraq. The gunmen stopped the trucks in a remote area in Diyala province and then executed the drivers, a security official said.
Deadly attacks have been on the rise, reaching levels not seen since 2008. The surge in bloodshed, following months of protests by the country`s Sunni Arab minority against the Shi`ite-led government, is raising fears that Iraq is heading for another bout of uncontrollable sectarian violence.
In the volatile city of Mosul, police said a bomb struck a military convoy, killing three soldiers and two officers. Also in Mosul, a policeman was killed when a roadside bomb hit his convoy. The city is 360 kilometres northwest of Baghdad.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but security forces are a favourite target for Sunni insurgents.
Medical officials confirmed the death toll from the attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to talk to reporters.
Today`s renewed violence came a day after a string of deadly attacks in several Iraqi cities, including Mosul, killed at least 63 people.
PTI
