Iraq violence surges ahead of elections

Several Turkish embassy guards, on their way from Turkey to Baghdad, were killed in an armed attack in Mosul.

Several Turkish embassy guards, on their way from Turkey to Baghdad, were killed in an armed attack in Mosul, as Iraq braced for new violence on Saturday ahead of January's historic elections.

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And with trials of members of Saddam Hussein's regime set to begin, the former president met a member of his legal counsel for the first time since his capture in December 2003, but a human rights group slammed the tribunal as flawed.

In a statement, the Turkish foreign ministry did not specify how many guards died in yesterday's attack, but CNN Turk television put the number at four.

One of the guards and a driver survived the attack and returned to Turkey, while two other guards made it safely to the embassy in Baghdad, the statement said.

"Our authorities are investigating the matter and trying to obtain more information from the Iraqi interim government and local officials," the statement added.