Middle East News

Seven killed in Iraq attacks

Oct 28, 2011, 12:14 GMT

Baghdad - At least seven civilians were killed Friday in attacks by unknown gunmen in two areas in Iraq, according to security officials.

The first attack occurred in the northern city of Mosul, where gunmen raided a house and killed a family of four before fleeing the scene, said the officials.

The officials told dpa that the attack had been mounted in the western area of Mosul, which has a Kurdish majority.

The second attack targeted another family in the town of Baquba, north-east of the capital Baghdad, leaving three dead.

A group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, said Ahmad al-Zarqoushi, a local council official.

'The victims had previously received threat letters from the group accusing them of collaboration with the security agencies,' he added.

Iraqi officials have recently accused al-Qaeda of an upsurge in deadly attacks in the country.

At least 18 people were killed late Thursday from a double bombing in eastern Baghdad for which no one claimed responsibility.

Violence in Iraq had steadily dropped after Sunni-Shiite bloodshed peaked in 2006. But bombings have recently become an almost daily event, often targeting security personnel.