Gunmen armed with silenced weapons shot dead 12 people at alcohol shops in the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, security and medical officials said.
The gunmen, who were travelling in four vehicles, restrained federal policemen at a checkpoint in the Zayouna area of west Baghdad, an interior ministry official said.
They then shot dead 12 people in multiple adjoining alcohol shops nearby, the ministry official said.
A medical official confirmed the toll.
With alcohol forbidden by Islam, Baghdad liquor stores are an attractive target for fundamentalist groups, made more so because they are often staffed by religious minorities.
Violence in Iraq has fallen from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common, killing more than 200 people in each of the first four months of this year.
Gunmen kill 12 at Baghdad alcohol shops
