Four Iraqi security members killed in attacks northeast of Baghdad

Four Iraqi security members were killed and eight people wounded in the past 24 hours in attacks in Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, a source from the U.S. and Iraqi liaison office in Baquba told Xinhua on Thursday.

Unidentified gunmen attacked an Iraqi military base in Buhruz town, south of Baquba, killing two Iraqi soldiers and wounding four others, said the source from the Joint Coordination Center of Diyala, where Baquba is located.

An Iraqi soldier was killed and two others were wounded when a roadside bomb went off near their patrol late on Wednesday in the Udhaim area northeast of Baquba, the source said.

Another attack occurred on Wednesday when gunmen opened fire at a police patrol in the Shuhadaa Square in Baquba city, killing a policeman while two policemen were wounded in a separate attack in Mqdadiyah town north of Baquba, he added.

Violence have persisted in Iraq despite the formation of a new national unity government on May 20.

Meanwhile, Iraq's new Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is expected to announce nominees for three key security ministerial posts later on Thursday, more than two weeks since the new government was sworn in.

Source: Xinhua