Five people, including two journalists killed in Iraq

Attacks across Iraq have killed five people, including two journalists, and wounded five others, officials say.

According to the Iraqi police, a reporter and a cameraman for the private al-Sharqiya TV channel were shot dead on Saturday while working on a report in the northern city of Mosul, about 360 kilometers (220 miles) northwest of Baghdad. It was not immediately clear why they were targeted.

Three other people were killed and five were wounded when a roadside bomb hit a checkpoint manned by militiamen opposed to al-Qaeda in the town of Youssifiyah, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad, police officials said.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a sectarian conflict that killed tens of thousands of people.

There are persistent fears that the country is slipping back towards an all-out conflict.

Militants, including those linked to al-Qaeda, frequently carry out attacks against Iraqi security forces and other government employees.