Baghdad: Militants killed four policemen and three soldiers in Iraq on Saturday, officials said, the latest attacks in a surge in violence that authorities have so far failed to curb.
In the deadliest attack, gunmen killed four police who were buying ice near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, at about 7.30am. Gunmen also killed three soldiers in an attack on a patrol in the restive Muqdadiyah area of Diyala province, also north of the capital.
Militants opposed to the Iraqi government frequently carry out attacks against the country’s police and army forces. Violence has markedly increased this year, attributed by analysts and diplomats to anger in the Sunni Arab community over its alleged targeting and ill treatment at the hands of the Shiite-led authorities.
Attacks have killed more than 3,480 people in Iraq since the beginning of 2013, according to figures compiled by AFP.
