Officials: Two attacks kill 7 people in Iraq

Authorities in Iraq said two separate attacks against the country's security forces killed seven soldiers and police officers.
     
Police officials said gunmen attacked a joint security checkpoint near Muqdadiyah town, killing five soldiers and wounding four.
     
Muqdadiyah is 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad.
     
Also, police and hospital officials said local al-Qaeda militants attacked a police station near Fallujah, west of Baghdad, killing two police officers. They said the gunmen used explosives to destroy the station after other officers fled.
     
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.
     
Violence has escalated in Iraq over the past year, particularly since late last month after authorities dismantled a Sunni anti-government protest camp and arrested a Sunni lawmaker.
 

AP