Baghdad: Attacks across Iraq killed at least 10 people on Sunday, officials said, as gunmen attacked a militia leader and bombs targeted police officers and civilians.
In the capital`s eastern New Baghdad neighbourhood, a parked car bomb missed a police patrol but killed three civilians and wounded 10, a police officer said. Another police officer said a car bombing in Baghdad`s eastern Sadr City neighbourhood killed one person and wounded 11.
In the Baghdad`s southwestern suburb of Radwaniyah, a bomb went off in a commercial area, killing three civilians and wounding 10, authorities said. In the town of Tarmiyah, about 50 kilometres north of Baghdad, a bomb exploded near soldiers on patrol, killing two and wounding five, officials said.
At dawn today, militants attacked a local leader of pro-government, anti-al-Qaeda Sunni miliia in his house in the town of Madain, 20 kilometres south of Baghdad, killing his brother and wounding one guard, authorities said. Two militants were killed in the clashes and two others were wounded, police said.
The Sahwa movement, also known as the Awakening Council, was formed by US forces in 2007 to help fight the insurgents during the height of Iraqi war. Ever since, it has been a target for Sunni hard-liners who consider them traitors.
Five medical officials confirmed causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to release information.
Violence has escalated in Iraq in recent months, with the pace of killing reaching levels unseen since 2008. Today`s attacks bring the death toll across the country this month to 57, according to an Associated Press count. More than 5,500 people have been killed since April, according to United Nations figures.
