Gunmen killed seven people from one family at their house in a village west of Mosul overnight, the capital city of Nineveh province, a provincial police source said on Monday.
The incident occurred late around midnight when gunmen believed to be affiliated to al-Qaida militant stormed a house belong to a family from Yazidi sect in the al-Shimal village near the town of Sinjar, some 180 km west of Mosul, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The attack resulted in the killing of four women and three men, the source said.
Iraqi security forces rushed to the scene and began a search operation in the village seeking for the attackers, the source said, adding that an investigation is underway.
The Yazidis are religious minority sect, numbered few hundred thousands, mostly live in villages and towns near the city of Mosul.
Nineveh province is said to be one of the last strongholds of al-Qaida fighters in the war-torn country.
The province has been the scene of a major security crackdown by U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces, which was aimed at uprooting al-Qaida militants and other anti-U.S. insurgent groups.
Source:Xinhua
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