4 killed in Iraq robbery

Associated Press

BAGHDAD

Gunmen raided a jewelry shop Saturday morning in western Iraq, killing four people before fleeing with a large amount of gold, officials said.

The brazen robbery is the latest in a string of violent attacks on lucrative targets such as banks, jewelry stores and money exchange houses that have plagued Iraq. Police speculate that insurgents seeking to replenish their funds may be behind the attacks.

Police and hospital officials said six attackers used handguns fitted with silencers during the heist in Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad.

The victims were believed to have been the owners of the shop, police said.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Street crime appears to be soaring in Iraq as sectarian fighting wanes and the U.S. military prepares to withdraw its forces by the end of next year. Criminals and insurgents are exploiting security gaps as Iraqi politicians bicker over the formation of a new government more than three months after national elections.

None of Iraq’s main political groups won a clear majority in the March 7 vote, and parliament has met only once since then. Parliament is scheduled to meet July 14.

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