Baghdad  - Four Iraqis, including fighters with the government-allied Sahwa or "Awakening" militia, were killed in an attack on their house near the western city of Falluja on Sunday, a local police source said.

The attack took place when unidentified gunmen broke into a house in the village outside Falluja, killing the people inside and blowing up the house, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Falluja, the largest city in the predominantly Sunni province of al-Anbar, lies 45 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Sahwa Councils were formed after Sunni former insurgents were persuaded to work with the US-backed Iraqi government. The Sahwa members have as a result been targeted by supporters of the al-Qaeda terrorist network and other insurgents. (dpa)