Official: Militants attack balloting center in northern Iraq, kill 10 guards

BAGHDAD – A senior Iraqi police officer says militants attacked a balloting center in a remote area in the country's north and killed 10 guards.

It was the latest in a surge in militant attacks in the run-up to Iraq's crucial parliament elections on April 30.

Deputy police chief in the northern city of Kirkuk says the attack occurred late on Monday night in Daqouq village.

Maj. Gen. Torhan Abdul-Rahman Youssef says the gunmen were disguised in military uniforms and told the guards at the polling center that they were there to do a search.

Youssef says the militants later shot to death the 10 guards.

Daqouq is located about 260 kilometers (162 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad.