23/10/2013 18:08
Iraq violence: Police killed in Anbar attacks
At least 19 police officers and three civilians have been killed in a series of attacks overnight in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, the BBC reported, citing officials.
The first saw a suicide bomber ram an explosives-filled car into a checkpoint in Rutba, 110km (70 miles) from the Syrian border, killing five policemen.
Another bomber blew up his vehicle near police deployed at a bypass, killing four officers and three lorry drivers.
Attacks by gunmen elsewhere in Anbar left seven other officers dead.
They opened fire on several checkpoints west of Ramadi, along the main road that links the capital Baghdad to Jordan and Syria.
No group has yet said it was behind the attacks, but Sunni Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda frequently target security forces personnel.
There has been a surge in sectarian violence across Iraq this year.
The UN says 979 people - including 127 police and 92 military personnel - were killed in violent attacks in September, bringing the number killed this year to 5,740.