Five people were killed in Iraq on Tuesday morning, Iraqi authorities said, despite the government targeting militants in an attempt to halt the violence sweeping the country.
An attack in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, killed a solider, an anti-Al Qaeda fighter and a civilian, while a armed gunman shot a former soldier and a civilian in the northern province of Nineveh, killing them both, according to Iraqi security and medical officials who spoke to AFP.
Tuesday's casualties come less than a day after 24 people were killed after bombs targeted a cafe, a market and a football pitch in Baghdad.
The Iraqi authorities have recently launched a number of security operations targeting militants in a bid to reduce the number of violent incidents sweeping the country, AFP reported. Officials say that the security operations have resulted in the killing or capture of many wanted militants, but sectarian violence still remains a threat in Iraq as it enters its bloodiest year since 2008.
Sectarian violence has been on the rise in Iraq this year, with AFP analysts contributing it to discontent in the minority Sunni population, which the Shiite led government has failed to address.
Attacks killed 3,409 people in Iraq since the beginning of 2013, according to figures compiled by AFP -- an average of more than 15 dead every day this year.
