18 dead as militants hit polling stations in Iraq

Suicide bombers attacked several polling stations and security forces in Iraq on Monday killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens, police said, days before the violence-wracked country holds legislative elections. The polls are the country's first since the departure of US troops in late 2011, and they see Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki seeking a third term. But the election has been overshadowed by attacks on candidates, election workers and political rallies, and parts of the country that have been out of government control for months will not see any ballots cast. In west Baghdad, an attacker wearing a suicide belt targeted a polling station early Monday as security force personnel queued to vote, killing seven people and wounding 15, a police colonel said. All of those killed were police officers, a medical official said, according to AFP.