Iraq pre-election period turns bloody

BAGHDAD: Attacks in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq killed five people on Sunday, exactly a month ahead of parliamentary polls that remain in disarray after the mass resignations of election commissioners last week.

The violence came hours after seven soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint in a late-night attack by militants in the north, the latest sign of a months-long surge in bloodshed that has killed nearly 500 people so far this month.