Attacks west of Baghdad kill 8 troops: Officials

Baghdad: Iraqi officials say attacks in and near a western Baghdad suburb have killed four officers and four soldiers. A police officer says militants fired mortar rounds into a military base in Abu Ghraib, west of the Iraqi capital, killing three officers and three soldiers. Seven soldiers were wounded in that attack. The officer says a bomb went off next to a military patrol in the same area, killing two, an officer and a soldier. Two other soldiers were wounded. A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to media. According to UN estimates, more than 8,000 people have been killed since the start of the year as insurgents seek to undermine government efforts to maintain security nationwide.