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Baghdad suicide bomb kills 4Sectarian violence blamed for 14 deaths south of Iraqi capital
SPECIAL REPORT
• Interactive: Who's who in Iraq
• Interactive: Sectarian divide
• Timeline: Bloodiest days for civilians
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Four people, including three police officers, were killed and eight police officers wounded when a suicide bomber detonated at the main gate of Iraq's Interior Ministry in Baghdad, emergency police said. The attack, which also killed an Iraqi civilian, occurred at about 9:45 a.m. Thursday, police said. Roads leading to the ministry were blocked off afterward, and searches of people were conducted. Also Thursday, gunmen killed 14 people, including women and children, by storming into two Shiite Arab houses in a town south of Baghdad, police said. Sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites has increased in the area recently, police said, and the killings in Latifiya were regarded as the latest example. The deaths are the latest in an uptick of violence since U.S. and Iraq authorities relaxed tough security measures in place for the December 15 parliamentary elections. A U.S. military spokesman said Thursday the post-election spike in violence was anticipated and didn't signal a worsening of the security situation. Brig. Gen. Donald Alston cited 75 attacks daily in Iraq, compared with 90 a few months ago. "We did have one day this week where we had four car bombs. Two of them I think were suicide," Alston said. "That was the most car bombs on a day since, I think, October 24." Iraqi security forces have increased from 127,000 at the beginning of the year to more than 223,000 now, he said. They include 118,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen. Post-election protestsNonetheless, tensions have been simmering over the parliamentary election results, prompting protests across the country. In Kirkuk, about 350 Arab and Turkmen demonstrators turned out Thursday to condemn the vote and what they claim are Kurdish attempts to control the northern city. (Details) Sunni Arabs, secular Shiites and others also have alleged fraud in the polling process. But a U.N. election official said Wednesday there was no need for a new vote, calling the election two weeks ago "transparent, credible and good." (Read more of what the official said) Meanwhile, two Arab League representatives will be part of a team to follow up on the work of Iraqi election officials, the International Mission for Iraqi Elections said Thursday. (Read how the team will operate) The announcement follows an invitation by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq for international observers to see how it is handling post-election work. The commission says it has received unfair criticism. Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, applauded the election officials' efforts to show the world community their work. "These experts will be arriving immediately, and we are ready to assist them, if needed," Khalilzad said. Insurgents held in RamadiMeanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are conducting operations against insurgents in the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Five insurgents, including an insurgent leader, have been detained, the U.S. Marines said Thursday. The "high-value insurgent leader" was identified as Jassim Mohammed Fayadh, "allegedly responsible for financing terrorism in the Tammim neighborhood and known to have supplied arms and munitions to al Qaeda in Iraq." The Marines said the insurgents "have been placed under custody of coalition forces and will be tried in the Iraqi criminal court system." The increase of tips from Anbar citizens have enabled U.S. and Iraqi forces to carry out such operations, the Marines said. Other developmentsCNN's Arwa Damon and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. 
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