Iraqi officials say gunmen have killed four anti-Al-Qaeda fighters in an attack on a security checkpoint in an eastern province.
Police in Diyala Province say the attackers opened fire early on June 29 on members of the Sahwa (Awakening) group, who were manning a checkpoint near the provincial capital, Baquba, some 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.
A doctor, Ahmed Ibrahim of Baquba General Hospital, and Iraqi security officials confirmed the death toll.
The Sahwa are Sunni Arabs who joined forces with the U.S. military to fight Al-Qaida at the height of the Iraqi insurgency that followed the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 and the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Violence in Iraq has declined significantly since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks still remain common.
Police in Diyala Province say the attackers opened fire early on June 29 on members of the Sahwa (Awakening) group, who were manning a checkpoint near the provincial capital, Baquba, some 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.
A doctor, Ahmed Ibrahim of Baquba General Hospital, and Iraqi security officials confirmed the death toll.
The Sahwa are Sunni Arabs who joined forces with the U.S. military to fight Al-Qaida at the height of the Iraqi insurgency that followed the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 and the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Violence in Iraq has declined significantly since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks still remain common.
