Militant attacks kill 14 in, around Baghdad

At least 14 people have lost their lives and 29 others were injured in a spate of attacks carried out by militants in and around the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad.

In the deadliest assault on Wednesday, a bomber set off his explosives-laden vest at a police checkpoint in Baghdad's Shia neighborhood of Shula.

A police officer, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attack left three policemen and three civilians dead and at least 15 more people injured.

Three shoppers were killed and nine others injured in another bomb explosion that hit a commercial area in the town of Yusufiyah, situated 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad, an unnamed police officer said.

Additionally, a similar explosion took place in the capital's southwestern Sa'adiyah neighborhood, killing two civilians and injuring five others.

Elsewhere in the northeastern Baghdad suburb of Rashidiyah, police said that three intelligence officers affiliated to Iraq’s Interior Ministry were gunned down by drive-by shooters armed with pistols fitted with silencers.

Local medical officials confirmed the number of casualties in Wednesday’s attacks. 

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the assaults yet, but such incidents are usually blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which has been wreaking havoc in Iraq's northern and western parts since June 2014.

The Iraqi army, backed by volunteer fighters, has been engaged in large-scale military operations to liberate the militant-held areas. 

Having suffered heavy losses on the battlefield against the Iraqi soldiers, Daesh has recently stepped up its terror attacks across Baghdad.

The fresh wave of violence in Baghdad prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to sack a number of high-ranking officials responsible for security in the capital.

The latest figures released by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq show a total of 662 Iraqis, including 382 civilians and 280 security forces, were killed and 1,457 others injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in June.

A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in Baghdad, where 236 civilians were killed.

Iraqi council votes to raze convicted militants’ homes

Meanwhile, an Iraqi provincial council voted for allowing local authorities to demolish convicted militants' homes and banish their families from the region.

Hassan Fadaam, a Babil Provincial Council member, told The Associated Press that the decision was made on Tuesday in the provincial capital of Hillah.

The measure will only apply to those militants who have exhausted all possibilities of appealing their convictions.

A court order against the militants' families for failing to inform authorities about the extremists' activities must precede the razing of their houses, Fadaam said, adding, "We will consider any means that could help deter terrorism and this is one of them."

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk