Sunni attacks kill 11 as Shiites gather to celebrate major Muslim holiday

SUNNI-LED insurgents killed 11 Iraqi security forces and wounded 14 in two separate attacks yesterday, as Shiites began celebrating a major Muslim holiday. Al-Qaida in Iraq threatened more attacks on diplomats here.

Also yesterday, the US military said it killed five senior al-Qaida in Iraq figures during an air strike on October 29 in Husaybah near the Syrian border. The five, including at least one North African, were responsible for bombings of US and Iraqi forces, the announcement said.

The worst attack by insurgents occurred at an Iraqi police checkpoint in Buhriz, 35 miles north of Baghdad.