Iraqi police say family of 8 killed south of Baghdad, some beheaded

Police say family of 8 killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD — Police say a terror group has killed eight members of a family in a village outside Baghdad, shooting some and beheading others.

In a statement Monday, Baghdad police said a gang using silencers attacked the victims in Wahda, a mixed Shiite-Sunni village 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Baghdad. It was not known how many were beheaded and how many were shot.

A Baghdad police officer and witnesses said the family was Shiite. They all spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the incident.

The statement did not indicate who might be behind the incident. But such attacks on civilians — especially those involving beheadings — are often the work of insurgents seeking to re-ignite sectarian killings.

The attack comes as Iraq prepares for elections March 7.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

RAMADI, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi police say a car bomb targeting a police building has killed three people in the capital of Iraq’s western Anbar province.

The bombing comes as Iraq is preparing for March 7 parliamentary elections. Insurgents have been repeatedly targeting government institutions in Anbar and the rest of Iraq in an attempt to destabilize the country ahead of the vote.

Police officials say a suicide bomber exploded the car outside the Internal Affairs office in the provincial capital, Ramadi.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Anbar province was considered the hotbed of the insurgency until many fighters turned against the insurgents in what is considered one of the key turning points of the war.