10 policemen killed in attacks in Iraq

At least 10 policemen were killed and five others wounded in three violent attacks in Iraq on Tuesday, police said.

Unidentified gunmen attacked a police patrol near Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad, killing seven policemen, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Three policemen were killed and three others wounded in another attack on a police patrol in the town of Imam Weis in Iraq's eastern Diyala province, the source said.

Two more policemen were injured in an attack by gunmen on a checkpoint in the town of Abu Saida, also in Diyala province, he added.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis were killed and more than 18,000 others were wounded in 2013.