Gunmen killed at least 10 Iraqi policemen and soldiers in separate attacks north of Baghdad on Monday in the latest flare-up of violence after a largely peaceful election nearly two weeks ago. In the capital, at least four people were killed and 17 wounded by five explosions in quick succession. Car bombs were responsible for at least four of the blasts, Reuters reported. In the second major assault on Iraqi security forces in three days, gunmen stormed a police checkpoint near an Interior Ministry commando base north of Baghdad, killing five policemen and wounding four. Attackers jumped out of a minibus in the early morning and began firing mortar rounds and rocket propelled grenades at the checkpoint in Buhriz, a small town about 60 km (37 miles) from the Iraqi capital, police said. As they got closer, they also began hurling hand grenades. At least six guerrillas were killed in the ensuing clashes that lasted several hours, police said. In a sign of elaborate planning, a main road leading to the checkpoint was laid with roadside bombs, delaying backup police forces sent in to help from the nearby town of Baquba, police said. "They attacked us from all sides," said one police officer at the scene. He said he saw at least 10 guerrillas killed. Further north, in the small village of Dhabab, gunmen shot dead five Iraqi army soldiers in separate, but apparently coordinated attacks as they left for work or went about their morning routine, the army said.
