Four killed, eight injured in multiple attacks in Iraq

Police First Lieutenant Qahtan Nayef al-Juburi said gunmen broke into a house in the village of Hajj Ali, situated some 151 kilometers (94 miles) northwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, on Saturday and shot three cousins dead, AFP reported.

In another incident, assailants attacked a car carrying a local anti-terrorism officer north of Tikrit town, situated about 140 kilometers (86 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

The armed men, clad in military uniforms, opened fire on Colonel Saba Mohammed’s vehicle and killed him.

An unnamed security official and a medical source said Mohammed's driver was wounded in the attack.

In another attack, a policeman was killed and three others were wounded after a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol car near Baqouba, situated 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Baghdad.

Earlier on Saturday, four Iranian pilgrims suffered injuries when a remote-controlled bomb targeted their bus in the town of Madain, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

Every year, many Iranians travel to Iraq where the holy shrines of a number of Shia Imams and their descendants are located.

They have been targeted on numerous occasions by militant groups, which the Iraqi authorities say are linked to foreign-sponsored terrorist organizations.