BAGHDAD — Insurgents killed four members of Iraq’s security forces and a city engineer in separate incidents across the Iraqi capital last night, officials said.
Because of the similar nature of the attacks — all shootings by assailants with silencers — and because they all occurred within less than an hour, it seemed to be a coordinated campaign to target security officials and government workers.
Iraqi police and hospital officials said gunmen killed an off-duty traffic policeman in a drive-by shooting in eastern Baghdad around 8 p.m., and shot dead an Iraqi Army colonel in his car downtown.
Assailants killed two more policemen in separate incidents later in Baghdad, as well as a city engineer northeast of the capital.
Gunmen also targeted a police colonel in northern Baghdad, but he escaped with severe wounds.
Insurgents in Iraq frequently target the security forces and government employees for reasons including retribution or to intimidate others so they will not join the security services.
Earlier yesterday, gunmen killed a lawyer in eastern Baghdad, police and hospital officials said. The lawyer worked with a foundation that helped political prisoners who suffered under Saddam Hussein’s regime.
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