Gunmen storm house, kill four relatives in Baghdad

From Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

At least six gunmen in two vehicles storm the house
The victims are shot in the head and the chest
The neighbors alert the police after they hear gunfire

RELATED TOPICS

Baghdad
Iraq

Baghdad (CNN) -- At least six gunmen stormed a house and fatally shot four family members in western Baghdad, the Iraq interior ministry said Sunday.

The gunmen in two vehicles shot dead three women and a man late Saturday night in the al-Jihad Sunni neighborhood, officials said.

Neighbors informed the police after they heard gunfire. Iraqi security forces said the victims were shot in the head and chest.

Overall, violence is down considerably in Iraq from its peak between 2005 and 2007. However, assassinations, bombs, gunfire and mortar attacks remain regular occurrences.

Baghdad imposed a curfew in 2008 to prevent night violence, including assassinations and attacks.

The attacks happened just before midnight.

The nightly curfew is currently between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time after authorities shortened it earlier Saturday for the first time in three years.

Before then, it had been between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m.