At least five Iraqi police officers have been shot dead at a checkpoint in the Iraqi capital by suspected al-Qaeda fighters, an interior ministry
source has said.

The source said the assailants used weapons with silencers in the assault early on Tuesday in Mansour district of west-central Baghdad.

"Around 5:30am (0230 GMT), men with silencer pistols shot dead five policemen at a checkpoint in Mansour neighbourhood before planting the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq," the source said.

The Islamic State of Iraq is an al-Qaeda affiliate.

Political vacuum

The latest attack follows an incident last Thursday, when armed men killed 16 soldiers and planted al-Qaeda's flat nearby.

The attacks in Azamiyah and Mansour districts were likely to raise concerns that
armed groups are taking advantage of the enduring political vacuum nearly five months after Iraq's parliamentary elections failed to produce a clear winner.

Politicians are still bickering over the formation of a new government, with the main hurdle being who should become the next prime minister.

Figures compiled by the ministries of health, interior and defence showed July to be the deadliest month in Iraq in two years, with 535 people being killed in violence.

Security has vastly improved in Iraq but armed groups still launch attacks, frequently targeting the Iraqi army and police.