Militants kill seven policemen in Iraq

Militants believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda have killed eight people through attacks in the towns of Rawa and Aana. Seven of the people killed were policemen as reported by the AFP.

Today's attacks came after four days of violence that included a bombing against Sunni mourners in Baghdad on Monday which killed 15 people and another at a Sunni funeral the day before that killed12. These attacks in turn were preceded by deadly bombings targeting Shiite mourners that killed 73 people and two blasts at a Sunni mosque that killed 18 people.

With the latest violence, more than 610 people have been killed this month and over 4,400 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources. These figures represent the highest levels in violence since 2008.