Insurgents shot dead six Iraqi policemen in separate attacks in a western Baghdad neighborhood, a well-informed police source said on Sunday, according to Xinhua.
Two policemen were killed in clashes erupted between Iraqi security forces and gunmen in the Sunni Arab neighborhood of Jamia, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Late on Saturday, gunmen carrying silencer pistols opened fire on policemen manning a checkpoint in the neighborhood, killing four of them before fleeing the scene, the source said.
The attacks came as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had warned that militant groups will work hard to stage more attacks to reverse security gains.
A series of deadly attacks rampant in Iraq recently, casting doubt on the ability of Iraqi security forces to take over from U. S. troops in controlling security and defeat insurgency of both Shiite and Sunni militant groups in the war-torn country.
As part of a security pact signed between Baghdad and Washington last year, U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraqi cities, towns and villages by June 30, 2009 to their bases, and will leave the country on Dec. 31, 2011.