Gunmen Strike In Town South Of Baghdad

Iraqi officials say gunmen have killed six people south of Baghdad.

The unidentified gunmen kidnapped the six men from different homes in Latifiyah, a mainly Sunni town 30 kilometers south of Baghdad and later shot them to death on April 6.

No one immediately claimed the slayings.

Violence has been escalating in Iraq.

Last year, Iraq saw its highest death toll since the worst of the country's sectarian bloodletting began to subside in 2007, according to United Nations figures.

On April 30, the country will hold its first parliamentary elections since the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP