Two Awakening Councils fighters were killed Saturday and two wounded in an armed attack on their checkpoint near the Iraqi city of Hilla, according to a police source, dpa reported.
An unknown gunmen attacked a checkpoint set up by Sahwa forces in Jarf al-Sakhr district 60 kilometres northwest of Hilla, the source told Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.
The gunmen fled to an unknown destination after they had caused material damage to the building, the source noted.
The Sahwa councils are anti-al-Qaeda fighters working in coordination with the Multi-National Force and the Iraqi government. Hilla, capital of Babel province, lies 100 km south of Baghdad.
Separately, unknown gunmen opened fire on the house of a provincial candidate in downtown Hilla, but no casualties were reported, according to a security source.
The candidate represents the Independents list, the source told VOI without giving further details.
The incident is the latest attack against candidates as Iraq is gearing up for the provincial elections on January 31.