Bomb, mortar attacks kill 8 in Iraq

BAGHDAD – Iraqi authorities say bomb and mortar attacks across the country have killed eight people, including a judge.

Police officials say a roadside bomb struck an army patrol near the northern city of Mosul early Sunday, killing three soldiers.

In Tikrit, in central Iraq, a car bomb killed judge Sajid Abdul-Amir as he was driving to his work, police said.

In eastern Baghdad, two people were killed in a blast in a commercial street, police said. Meanwhile, mortar rounds landed on houses in the capital's western suburbs, killing two people.

Medical officials confirmed the death toll for all attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Violence has increased recently in Iraq alongside escalating political and sectarian tensions.