Gunmen kill 14 Sunni relatives in attack

Gunmen burst into two houses belonging to a Sunni Muslim family north east of Baghdad today, killing 14 relatives, police said.

The attack occurred in the village of Rufayaat, about 5 kilometres east of Balad – a majority Shiite town 80 kilometres north east of the Iraqi capital. The town is surrounded by territory that is mainly populated by Sunnis.

At least 10 gunmen broke into the homes, then separated women and children from their male relatives.

All 14 victims were men, ranging in age from 15 to 75, a police captain said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak about the matter.

US troops arrived at the scene and took a wounded man to an American military hospital, the Iraqi captain said.

The US military had no immediate comment.

In mid-October, at least 95 people died in a five-day slaughter in Balad. The Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, was blamed for the killings.

Militiamen torched businesses and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, in apparent retaliation for the beheading of 17 Shiite workers.