Iraqi officers targeted by bombings amid security handover

Dec 13, 2011, 10:28 GMT

Baghdad - At least five Iraqi policemen and one civilian have been killed in a series of attacks as local forces prepare to take over the security of the country, officials said Tuesday.

An explosion at a police checkpoint in the city of Abu Ghreib, located 20 kilometres east of the capital Baghdad, killed two policemen and one civilian. Five people were also injured in the attack.

In the north of the country, senior police officer Iyad Kejika was killed by unknown gunmen near his home, east of Mosul city. A bodyguard was also shot dead.

And another senior officer, Omar Ali, was killed overnight in the northern province of Salahadin.

'A bomb had exploded right outside his house and when the officer went out to check the situation, a second bomb placed in his car exploded, killing him,' the official told dpa.

The latest attacks follow a meeting in Washington on Monday between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and US President Barack Obama to discuss ongoing relations after US troops complete their withdrawal from Iraq by the end of the year.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the latest violence, but Sunni and Shiite extremists have both been blamed for similar attacks in the past.

With almost daily bombings being reported, many Iraqis are worried that local security forces will be unable to prevent further insurgency attacks once US forces leave for good.