Nine people killed in Iraq attacks

Iraqi officials said separate attacks have killed at least nine people in the country.

A police officer said militants snatched five soldiers from a taxi at a fake checkpoint near the northern city of Mosul and shot them dead. He added that gunmen killed a grocer inside Mosul. The grocer was a member of the Shabak ethnic group who have their own distinct language and religious beliefs.

Another police officer said a bomb exploded near a car ferrying a judge in the northern town of Balad, killing three nurses walking nearby. The judge, his brother and the driver were wounded.

Two medical officials confirmed the casualty figures.