Iraq Hunts For Qaeda Gunmen After 35 Killed In Ambush -- AFPBAQUBA, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi forces launched a major hunt for Al-Qaeda gunmen in the restive province of Diyala on Thursday after 35 people were killed in an ambush of a police convoy.
Wednesday's attack, which saw the entire patrol wiped out, was one of the deadliest against police in recent months despite massive military crackdowns in the region, one of the most dangerous in Iraq.
The US military also reported that an American soldier was killed in a suicide bombing in the province on Wednesday, but did not give further details.
Soldiers backed by commandos are sweeping the area following the ambush, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf said.
"We have a major operation underway in the area after Al-Qaeda ambushed the policemen. Army, police commandos and rapid action groups have joined a search for the attackers," Khalaf told AFP.
Khalaf, who is also acting police chief in Diyala, said the people ambushed were on an anti-Qaeda reconnaissance patrol when gunmen struck in the village of Al-Dulaimat near the town of Khan Bani Saad, north of Baghdad.
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More News On This Ambush
Iraq gunmen launch deadly ambush -- BBC
Death toll rises to 35 in Diyala ambush -- China View
Ambush Kills 20 Iraqi Men Searching for Weapons -- New York Times
My Comment: This was an intense battle with heavy casualties ..... probably the most intense battle of the year. It appears that Al Qaeda forces were the victorious ones in this fight, and it reveals weaknesses in the Iraqi security forces.
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