At Least 27 Killed In Violence In Iraq

Islamic militants have taken control of a village in northern Iraq as bombings and shootings killed at least 27 people nationwide.

Gunmen led a predawn raid on the village of Sarha, setting off a truck bomb.

Fighting in the area, which is some 200 kilometers north of Baghdad, has been ongoing in recent weeks.

Car bombs also hit the Namra Thamania resort in Kirkuk while people were celebrating the spring festival of Norouz.

Meanwhile, an attack on a police headquarters in Injan, about 120 kilometers north of Baghdad, killed at least nine policemen.

The sectarian violence comes just weeks before April 30 parliamentary elections.

Iraq is experiencing the highest number of casualties from Sunni-Shi'ite violence since 2008.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa