Gunmen kill 3 police, 1 prison official in Iraq

[October 20, 2012]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Gunmen killed three policemen and a prison official in attacks on Saturday and overnight in Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said.

The first attack took place early in the morning when gunmen opened fire on a police patrol in the Shiite Muslim neighborhood of al-Shaab, killing two policemen and wounding another, police said.

In downtown Karradah, gunmen on Friday night attacked the house of a police lieutenant colonel who worked with the State Identity Directorate, killing him, police said.

Health officials at nearby hospitals confirmed the deaths. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, gunmen with pistols fitted with silencers killed Haider al-Sultani, an official at Taji prison, in a drive-by-shooting that seriously wounded another employee, said Haider al-Saadi, spokesman for the Iraqi Justice Ministry.

The Taji prison lies in a town with the same name, 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad.

The attack took place during the morning rush hour while the two were travelling on Canal Highway in eastern Baghdad, al-Saadi added.

Violence has ebbed in Iraq since the peak of the bloodletting in 2005-2008, but insurgents still frequently attack government officials and security forces in an attempt to undermine the Shiite-led government.

[Associated Press; By BUSHRA JUHI]

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