Gunmen kill 8 Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad

[sabra]

Source: Newsweek/AP

Gunmen opened fire on an Iraqi army checkpoint in central Baghdad Wednesday, killing eight soldiers and wounding two, police said.

The drive-by shooting occurred about 11 a.m. in the Bab al-Mudham district, a commercial area on the eastern side of the Tigris River in central Baghdad.

Two other soldiers were wounded, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

The attack in the heart of Baghdad provided a deadly example of the stark challenges facing the Iraqi forces as they work to take over their own security so U.S.-led troops can eventually go home. It was the latest in a series of bombings, shootings and mortar attacks as militants seek to undermine recent security gains.

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/id/81353