Five Iraqi soldiers were shot at a checkpoint near Baghdad, authorities said today, in the latest sign of rising tensions as Iraq prepares to release the results of the March 7th election.
The Iraqi army surrounded the town of Radwaniya west of Baghdad, where the attack occurred late on Tuesday.
Troops limited access as they searched for the gunmen, officials said.
"Gunmen used silencers and killed two of our soldiers at the checkpoint and then entered to kill the others inside their room (at the checkpoint) and fled without drawing attention," said a military intelligence officer who asked not to be named.
The Baghdad security spokesman's office confirmed that gunmen killed the soldiers in an attack on the checkpoint.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is scheduled to release a preliminary 100 percent vote count on Friday evening.
Reuters