Iraqi army soldiers, one giving the victory sign, prepare to depart after killing all the attackers on a Shiite private college, in Baghdad’s eastern neighborhood of Ur, Iraq, Sunday, April 20, 2014. A series of attacks, including a coordinated assault on a private Shiite college in Baghdad, killed over a dozen people and wounded scores of others in Iraq on Sunday, officials said. Less than two weeks ahead of parliamentary elections, Iraq is struggling to keep a lid on a surge in sectarian violence that has sent bloodshed soaring to levels not seen since the country balanced on the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
April 21, 2014 - 3:32 AM
BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials say a suicide attack targeting a police checkpoint outside the capital, Baghdad, has killed at least nine people.
A police officer says the bomber drove an explosives-laden car into the checkpoint in the town of Suwayrah, killing four policemen and five civilians on Monday.
The officer says the explosion also wounded 22 people. The town of Suwayrah is located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Baghdad.
A medical official confirmed the causality figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
Iraq is undergoing a surge in attacks since last year, with violence reaching levels unseen since 2008. It has become the Shiite-led government's most serious challenge as the nation prepares to hold parliamentary elections.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014