THE number of Iraqis killed in March climbed to 1,082, the highest monthly figure since August 2007, amid a spike in violence driven by clashes between Shi’ite militiamen and security forces, officials have said.

THREE massive vehicle bombs exploded yesterday near Baghdad’s Palestine Hotel, home to many Western journalists, killing at least 20 people.

Insurgents gunned down a neighbourhood police chief and set off a suicide bomb near a patrol guarding a holy shrine, part of a series of attacks today targeting Iraqi security forces and leaving at least eight people dead, including four police officers.

Insurgents targeted Iraqi security forces today in Baghdad, gunning down a neighbourhood police chief and hitting a patrol with a roadside bomb in attacks that left three people dead and at least five injured.