U.S.-backed Sunni militiamen have killed three police officers and injured three others, an Iraqi security source refusing to be named said. It is the first time U.S.-financed Sunni militias turn their guns against government police forces.
The incident comes as the so-called Majlis Sahwa in Diyala or the Awakening Council, the euphemism used to describe the militias, has called for civil disobedience in the restive city.
Security sources said many government offices were closed on Sunday and Monday and that certain neighborhoods in the city saw anti-government demonstrations.
The Sunni militias are run by tribal chieftains who have demanded that the government remove the city’s police chief on allegations of corruption and human rights abuses.
Diyala police deny the allegations and a police spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the term of the current police boss, Lt. Gen. Ghanim Quraishi, has seen marked improvement in security.
The spokesman said Quraishi had the loyalty of Diyala police and that there were also counter demonstrations in his support in the city and its outlying districts.
