5 policemen killed near Iraqi capital

BAGHDAD, Dec. 6 — Gunmen attacked a power station in south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Thursday, leaving five policemen dead, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

At dawn of Thursday, the gunmen using silent weapons attacked the power station in Jurf al-Nadaf area, some 20 km south of Baghdad. Five guarding policemen, who apparently were sleeping, were shot dead, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Violence in Iraq has decreased from its climax in 2006 and 2007, when sectarian conflicts pushed the country to the brink of a civil war. But tensions and sporadic shootings and bombings are still common across the country.

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