Gunmen execute eight former al-Qaeda fighters in Iraq

Gunmen dressed in military uniforms kidnapped eight former anti-Qaeda fighters from their homes and killed them execution-style on Monday, officials said, as the death toll in Iraq surged.

The murders on the eight former al-Qaeda members took place in Mishahada, which lies just north of Baghdad, when armed men kidnapped them during a pre-dawn raids on their homes.

Their corpses were later found in the town, having suffered gunshots to the head and chest, an interior ministry official and a medical source said.

More than 1,500 people were killed in Iraq in the past three months, twice the previous quarter's figure, data showed on Monday, fanning fears the politically-deadlocked country is slipping back into all-out bloodshed.

The eight were all former fighters in the Sahwa, a collection of Sunni tribal militias that turned against Al-Qaeda and sided with the US military from late 2006 onwards, helping turn the tide of Iraq's bloody insurgency.

These anti-Qaeda militiamen are regarded as traitors by Sunni militants, and as a result are frequently targeted for attacks.

In the previous week alone, nine Sahwa fighters were killed and 18 others wounded in attacks, according to an AFP tally.

The attack comes amid a series of attacks against the tribal militia in recent days, and as Iraq grapples with a protracted political deadlock and months of protests.

Analysts say the stalemate is likely to persist until general elections due next year.

(AFP, Al-Akhbar)