/ Source: Reuters
Gunmen opened fire on a minibus north of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing nine people and wounding two, police said.
A police official said 10 masked gunmen carried out the attack near the town of Baqouba, some 40 miles from the Iraqi capital.
Iraqi and U.S. officials expect a surge in guerrilla violence in the run-up to national elections on Dec. 15 when Iraqis will vote for their first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Sunni Arab guerrillas are waging a campaign of suicide bombings, shootings and assassinations in a bid to topple the present Shiite- and Kurd-dominated government, which is backed by Washington.