Attacks on Iraqi security forces and their allies kill 5

Attacks target Iraq security forces, killing 5

BAGHDAD — Explosions and gunmen in Iraq killed five people Tuesday, including two members of an anti-al-Qaida group and a policeman, officials said.

The attacks, which also injured 11 people, reflect the persistent violence directed at people responsible for protecting Iraq as American forces leave. Violence across the country has spiked in the past month as the U.S. moves ahead with a major drawdown of its troops set to be completed by the end of the month.

The most deadly incident happened in the Baghdad neighborhood of Baiyaa in the southwestern part of the city, which was wracked by a series of blasts.

Police and hospital officials said first a pair of bombs exploded on a main street in Baiyaa, without causing any injury. When a police patrol arrived minutes later, a third bomb exploded, killing three people and wounding eleven others. A policeman was among the dead and four policemen were injured.

Staggered explosions to inflict maximum casualties, especially on police and medical personnel, has been a hallmark of insurgents linked to al-Qaida in Iraq.

In the town of Jurf al-Sakhr, 40 miles (70 kilometers) south of Baghdad, gunmen at a checkpoint shot dead the local leader of an Awakening Council, one of the anti-al-Qaida groups that helped stabilize Iraq over the past two years.

A roadside bomb killed the bodyguard of another Awakening Council leader, this time in the western Anbar province.

The councils, also known by their Arabic name Sahwa, have been instrumental in fighting insurgents, making them a target of choice for groups such as al-Qaida who want to reverse Iraq’s security improvements.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Violence has dramatically dropped in Iraq since 2008, but insurgent attacks remain a daily occurrence, especially in the capital. A security agreement with the Iraqi government requires all U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.