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8 killed in violent attacks across Iraq

08 January 2014 18:00 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Eight people were killed and 19 others wounded in violent attacks across Iraq on Wednesday, police said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Gunmen attacked a car and shot dead three policemen aboard and wounded two passersby in the city of Shirqat, some 280 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

In Nineveh province, a civilian was killed and 14 people were wounded, including two policemen, when a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into a joint police and army checkpoint in the city of Tal Afar, some 60 km west of the provincial capital city of Mosul, which is about 400 km north of Baghdad, a local police said.

In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a police officer was killed and two policemen were wounded when a roadside struck their patrol near the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, a provincial police source anonymously told Xinhua.

In a separate incident, a farmer was killed and another injured when gunmen opened fire on them at an orchard in Mansouriyah area, some 45 km east of Baquba, the source said.

Also in the province, the police found two bodies of men who were shot dead in their heads and chests in the city of Maqdadiyah, some 40 km northeast of Baquba, the source added.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis were killed in 2013, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, which is the highest annual death toll for years.