An Iraqi policeman was killed and his brother, also a policeman, was wounded in a drive-by shooting on Monday in the town of Kirkuk. Iraqi security sources revealed that the two brothers were attacked in the morning hours when a car sped by and fired at them, according to the AP.
Also on Monday, Iraqi police discovered the bodies of two Sunni men, also brothers, who had been bound and shot repeatedly.
According to Lt. Maitham Abdul-Razzaq, the brothers had been led from their home in a neighborhood in southern Baghdad by men claiming to work for the Ministry of Interior who subsequently killed them.
In two other separate drive-by shootings early Monday, a 60-year old retired teacher was killed in Baghdad, and a grocer killed in west Baghdad neighborhood of Amariyah.
Pentagon triples budget to fight roadside bomb deaths in Iraq
Meanwhile, in an effort to curb the number of casualties in Iraq of American soldiers killed by roadside bombs, the US Pentagon will reportedly triple its spending budget to $3.5 billion.
Last year, some $1.2 billion was set aside for the task force to combat such bombs, or "improvised explosive devices" (IEDs), according to the New York Times. The figure for 2004 was half that amount.
The expanded budget will allow for some 360 military personnel and contractors to serve as intelligence, technical and forensic specialists to combat the problem, according to a report by Reuters quoting The Times.
According to US officials, many of the more sophisticated bombs used in Iraq were originally designed in neighboring Iran.
Security tightened in preparation for Ashoura
Iraqi forces also announced that increased security would be implemented across the country in preparation for the Shiite holiday of Ashoura on Thursday, marking the death of Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Ceremonies marking the day have already begun.
More than 230 people were killed in the past two years during Ashoura ceremonies.
Meanwhile, violence continued throughout the country on Sunday, with seven Iraqis killed, and the bodies of two Shiite men were discovered.
An Iraqi soldier died after being hit by a roadside bomb in the city of Falluja, two policemen were killed by a car bomb southeast of Baghdad, while two others were killed in Kirkuk.
An assistant manager of a prison in Basra was shot and killed, and a rocket attack killed a civilian in the town of Samarra.
