12 killed in Iraq attacks

At least 12 people, including nine gunmen, were killed and 14 suffered injuries in different violent incidents across Iraq Saturday, police said.

The incidents included an attack on an army outpost by gunmen in the early morning on the northern edge of the city of Fallujah, in Anbar province, some 50 km from Baghdad, Xinhua quoted a provincial police source as saying.

Helicopter gunships intervened in the battle and pounded the gunmen positions, killing nine of them, the source added.

A civilian was killed and 10 injured in Salahudin province when two roadside bombs went off in a quick succession in Tuz-Khurmato city, some 175 km from Baghdad, a police source said.

Meanwhile, a policeman was shot dead at his home by some unidentified gunmen in the early morning, the source said.

A policeman was killed and four injured when a roadside bomb struck a police patrol in Tarmiyah area, some 40 km from Baghdad, a source said.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, were killed in 2013, the highest annual toll in years.