Police: Gunmen kill 4 in drive-by shootings in northern Iraqi city of Mosul

Gunmen kill 4 in northern Iraq drive-by shooting

BAGHDAD — Police say gunmen have killed four people, including a Sunni cleric, in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul where insurgents remain active.

A Mosul police official said a policeman and two civilians were killed Thursday when gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on a police checkpoint in the city. Earlier, police said Fathi al-Nuaimi, a Sunni imam, was shot dead by gunmen in a drive-by attack near his home.

Mosul, Iraq’s third largest city, remains a stronghold of al-Qaida, even as security has dramatically improved elsewhere in the country.

A hospital official confirmed the four deaths in Mosul.

The hospital and police officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.