Special report: Tension accelerates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Clashes erupted between gunmen and Iraqi security forces in two restive areas south of Baghdad on Wednesday, during which 23 people were killed and dozens wounded, an Iraqi Interior Ministry source said on Thursday.

    A joint Iraqi army and police force chased and fought unidentified gunmen near Suwaiyah, some 40 km south of Baghdad, killing 15 militants and seizing weapons and ammunition, the source said on condition of anonymity.

    In another move, Iraqi security forces stormed the Wahdah area, 20 km south of Baghdad, after a fierce fighting between insurgents and local security forces, the source said.

    The security forces found bodies of eight people including five civilians and three policemen at the scene of the clashes, the source added.

    The bodies were then taken to the neighboring Wasit province, according to the source.

    Suwaiyah and Whadah are located in a vast open area south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The area is populated by Shiite and Sunni Arabs and has been a bastion of insurgency against U.S. and Iraqi forces. Enditem