BAGHDAD: Gunmen shot dead two Iraqi army soldiers, including a lieutenant, in a drive-by shooting in north Baghdad on Tuesday, security and medical officials said.

The gunmen, who were driving in two cars, opened fire using silenced pistols on a military pick-up truck in Waziriyah, killing the two, an interior ministry official and a medical source said.

The latest fatalities took to 261 the number of people killed in nationwide attacks so far in August, according to an AFP tally based on reports from security and medical officials.

Violence has significantly decreased in Iraq compared to the brutal years of 2006 and 2007, but attacks are still common across the country.