Attack on Police Leaves Dozens Killed in Western Iraq

Uniformed gunmen staged a bold attack on police that left over two dozen personnel dead in Haditha. Overall, at least 37 Iraqis were killed and 15 more were wounded in this and other violence.

A gang dressed in Interior Ministry uniforms and driving ministry vehicles staged a multi-location attack on police in Haditha. At least 28 policemen and three attackers were killed. Five more policemen were wounded, as well as one gunman. Police also killed a suicide bomber who may have been operating separately. The chief of police is among the dead.

At least 13 vehicles took part in the raid, which began at about 2:00 a.m. and lasted a half hour. The assailants used falsified arrest documents to gain the trust of police. Many of the victims were killed at checkpoints throughout the city. An Interior Ministry captain and colonel, however, were picked up at their homes and found dead nearby. Also, an Islamic State of Iraq flag was found in the aftermath, suggesting the assailants were in disguise. The city is under curfew.

In Mosul, mortars killed three people and wounded two more. Gunmen killed a Shabak man and wounded his brother as they were leaving their home.

A judge was seriously injured near Kirkuk when a sticky bomb attached to his car exploded.

The body of a missing man was found dumped in Khanaqin.

In Iskandariya, clashes left three gunmen wounded.

A bomb in Tuz Khormato wounded two Sahwa members.

Author: Margaret Griffis

Margaret Griffis is a journalist from Miami Beach, Florida and has been covering Iraqi casualties for Antiwar.com since 2006.