Thirteen Iraqis killed in attacks

At least 13 people have been killed in Iraq in a series of separate attacks against police and security forces working with the US military.

Nine policemen and recruits were killed when attackers opened fire on a minibus near Hilla, south of Baghdad.

In the centre of the northern city of Kirkuk, two policemen were killed when gunmen fired on a police checkpoint.

And in Mosul, two Iraqi civilians were killed in a mortar attack on a base used by the new Iraqi army.

In a separate incident in Mosul, a security guard working with the US-sponsored Facility Protection Services was reported to have been seriously wounded when he was shot by gunmen.

The killings were the latest in a series of strikes aimed at Iraqi police and paramilitary forces.

US military officials say the number of Iraqis killed in this way has been increasing in recent weeks, while the number of attacks on US and other foreign soldiers has been constant or even in decline.

Correspondents say insurgents now appear to be attacking Iraqi security forces in preference to US-led troops, because they are easier targets and are seen as collaborating with the occupation.