8 killed in crossfire between Iraqi forces and gunmen in Baghdad

Six gunmen and two security members were killed when gunmen stormed a government building in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Thursday, an interior ministry source said. The attack occurred before noon when four gunmen and two suicide bombers broke into an office belonging to the Ministry of Transportation, which is adjacent to an office of Iraq's Human Rights Ministry in eastern Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Two security members were killed by the clashes and seven others were wounded, the source said. The security forces retook control on the building after killing the attackers who apparently failed to take hostages, the source added. The state-run Iraqiya television quoted Brigadier Saad Maan, the Interior Ministry spokesman, as saying that the security forces managed to evacuate the government building and the surrounding buildings without casualties. Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, were killed in 2013, which is the highest annual death toll for years.