Violence kills 7 in Iraq

Shelling in Iraq's city of Fallujah, held by anti-government fighters for more than two months, and a shooting targeting a local official killed seven people Friday, police and doctors said. Iraq has been hit by a year-long surge in bloodshed that has reached levels not seen since 2008, driven principally by widespread discontent among its Sunni Arab minority and by the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Shelling in Fallujah, just a short drive from Baghdad, killed six people and wounded 17, Dr Ahmed Shami said. The source of the fire, which resident Jassem Mohammed al-Essawi said hit four different areas, was not immediately clear, according to afp.