Baghdad - An Iraqi policeman was killed by unidentified gunmen Thursday while four armed men were arrested separately in Kirkuk, 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, a source in the Iraqi police said.

The source said the gunmen ran away after shooting the policeman.

A police force raided the al-Nasr district in Kirkuk and arrested four "terrorists," the source said.

"Two of them are followers of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, while the other two belong to the al-Naqshabandiya armed group," the source added.

The Al-Naqshabandiya group operates in Kirkuk city and areas nearby and was formed in late 2006. It is said to follow the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's vice president Izat al-Dori.

The source said the police force seized a car, explosives and documents belonging to the two terrorist groups. (dpa)