BAGHDAD — Attacks killed five people in Iraq’s capital Sunday, targeting security forces and Shiite Muslims in the small but steady stream of continuing violence across the country.
The victims were top targets of Sunni insurgents who have sought to shake public trust in the Shiite-led government and rekindle widespread sectarian fighting like the kind that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war just a few years ago.
In the deadliest attack Sunday, a minibus exploded in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. Police said three passengers were killed and seven wounded in the noontime blast in what is one of Baghdad’s poorest areas and traditional stronghold of a Shiite militia that used to fight the Sunni insurgency.
Several hours later, officials said, gunmen killed a federal police general and his aide in a drive-by shooting on a western Baghdad highway. Police said Brig. Gen. Naif Abdul-Razzaq and his driver were headed home from work when they were shot. The gunmen escaped before they could be caught, police said.
Medics in nearby hospitals confirmed the death toll in both incidents. No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 09/24/2012