4 Sahwa fighters killed, wounded in armed attack

BABEL / IraqiNews.com: Four Sahwa (Awakening) council fighters were killed or wounded in an armed attack on their checkpoint near Hilla city, according to a police source. “Unknown gunmen attacked a checkpoint set up by Sahwa forces in Jarf al-Sakhr district (60 km northwest of Hilla), killing two Sahwa fighters and wounding two others,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The gunmen fled to an unknown destination after they had caused material damage to the building,” the source noted. The Sahwa councils are anti-Qaeda fighters working in coordination with the Multi-National Force (MNF) and the Iraqi government. Headed by local chieftains, the councils have been credited with helping reduce violence in many Iraqi provinces, like Anbar, Diala, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din. Hilla, the capital city of Babel province, lies 100 km south of Baghdad. SS (P) 1