Iraqi election candidates among 10 dead in attacks

Attacks north of the Iraqi capital on Sunday killed at least 10 people, including a provincial elections candidate and six policemen, the latest in an uptick in violence just days ahead of polls, AFP reports.

The credibility of the vote, Iraq's first since 2010, has been drawn into question as 14 election hopefuls have been murdered and just 12 of the country's 18 provinces will be taking part.

In restive Diyala province, election candidate Najm al-Harbi was driving in his car along a highway when a bomb exploded, killing him, two of his brothers and a bodyguard, police and a medic said.

Harbi's killing comes a day after Hatim Mohammed al-Dulaimi, a candidate for Salaheddin provincial council, was shot dead by gunmen near his home in Baiji, north of the Iraqi capital.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the two candidates were moderate Sunnis campaigning in mostly Sunni areas where Islamist insurgents are known to target political rivals.

A local al-Qaeda wing has promised to stoke a campaign of violence among Shiites, Sunnis and ethnic Kurds in order to further destabilize the country.

Soldiers and policemen cast their ballots for the provincial elections on Saturday, a week ahead of the main vote, the country's first since March 2010 parliamentary polls.

More than 8,000 candidates are standing in the elections, with 378 seats on provincial councils up for grabs. An estimated 16.2 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, among them about 650,000 members of the security forces.