6 killed in central Iraq attacks

Gunmen shot dead four anti-Al-Qaeda militiamen and a civilian in central Iraq on Friday and a roadside bomb killed an Iraqi soldier, security and medical officials said. Gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Khan Bani Saad, south of the city of Baquba, killing four Sahwa militiamen and wounding four, a militia commander said, adding that the attackers escaped. A roadside bomb targeting a patrol in Baquba itself killed one soldier and wounded another, an army major said. Dr Ahmed Ibrahim of Baquba General Hospital confirmed the tolls. Later on Thursday, gunmen armed with automatic weapons opened fire on a civilian car north of Baquba, killing the driver, police said. Friday's deaths brought the number of people killed in attacks since June 13 to at least 213 -- an average of more than 12 per day. That is a far higher toll than the 132 killed in May, according to official figures. A significant amount of the violence has occurred in and around Baquba, the capital of Diyala province north of Baghdad. On Thursday, a car bomb exploded near a Shiite place of worship in Baquba, killing six people and wounding 51, while two people were killed and four wounded in another bombing, and three more wounded in an attack near the city. On June 18, a suicide bomber killed 22 people in an attack on Shiite mourners in Baquba, and 10 people were killed in a series of attacks in and around the city on June 13. Iraqi army Colonel Mohammed al-Tamimi of the Diyala Operations Command said Al-Qaeda was behind the attacks. "Many attacks occurred recently in Diyala province and the Al-Qaeda organisation stands behind them," Tamimi told AFP. "Our security forces will continue to target the hideouts of the perpetrators of the terrorist operations who frequently target innocent civilians," Tamimi said. Violence has declined significantly since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks still remain common.