Guards killed in Baghdad bank robbery

Eight guards have been killed in a bank robbery in Baghdad, the second in a week in the Karradah district.

Iraqi police load victims killed in a bank robbery into a truck in central Baghdad, Iraq, on July 28, 2009.

Gunmen have killed eight security guards during an early morning robbery at a bank in central Baghdad, an attack that appears to be the work of insurgents attempting to finance operations against Iraqi and US forces, police officials said. It is the second deadly robbery in a week in Baghdad's commercial Karradah district. The gunmen broke into the state-run Rafidain Bank at about 4am, killing three on-duty guards and five others on the premises, who were either on a break or asleep in beds, said an Iraqi police official.

Investigators believe the gunmen used silencer-fitted weapons during the attack because witnesses and neighbors did not hear any gunshots. Another official said the robbery appears to be the work of insurgents trying to get hold of cash to finance their operations. The official did not say what evidence led police to believe the robbery was the work of insurgents. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release the information to the media.

Five people were killed on Sunday in a daylight attack at a popular money exchange office, a reflection of the increasing crime in Iraq even as violence is on the decline. *AP