5 dead in attack on home of Iraq cleric

Two women were among five people killed in an attack on the home of a cleric in the central Iraqi city of Samarra, police said Wednesday, pointing the finger at loyalists of Al Qaida. "Five people, two of them women, were killed around 10 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday," a Samarra police commander said. "Armed men attacked the home of Shaikh Khalid Al Naisani, killing him, his wife, their 17-year-old son and two other people who were at his house," the commander said, adding the attack was "probably the work of Al Qaida members". The deaths came just weeks before US troops are due to a complete a withdrawal from Iraq that has raised concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to maintain security. The end-of-year pullout brings to a close an almost nine-year war that has left thousands of American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis dead, and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Violence has declined nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 258 people were killed in October, according to official figures.