Gunmen kill 5 security officials in half-hour shooting spree targeting Baghdad checkpoints

Gunmen kill 5 in Baghdad checkpoint shooting spree

BAGHDAD — Authorities say gunmen have killed five Iraqi security officials in a half-hour shooting spree targeting checkpoints in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods around Baghdad.

By targeting Iraqi security forces and Shiite areas, insurgents aim to weaken confidence in the government and aggravate sectarian tension as thousands of American troops leave the country by the end of this month.

Two police officials say the gunmen killed four policemen and a member of a government-backed group of Sunni fighters on Saturday.

Officials at two hospitals and the Baghdad morgue confirmed the deaths.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.