Iraqi officials: gunmen kill 3 in country's north

BAGHDAD – Iraqi authorities say gunmen have killed three people, including a local official, in the country's north.

Police officials say that the first attack took place Saturday morning when gunmen shot dead Ibrahim Younis, a municipal council member, near his house in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad.

Also in Mosul, gunmen opened fire on a police checkpoint, killing one policeman and a passerby.

Medics in a nearby hospital confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Violence has ebbed in Iraq since the peak of violence in 2005-2008, but insurgents frequently attack government officials and security forces in an attempt to undermine the Shiite-led government.