At least 18 troops have been killed and another 32 soldiers wounded in an ambush in western Iraq, Reuters reported military sources as saying. Five high-ranking officers were among those killed.
Five senior officers were among those killed, including commander
Major General Mohammed al-Karoui and his aide, in the attack in
the Sunni-dominated province of Anbar.
The assistant commander of the Seventh Division, the commander of
its 27th Brigade, and several other high-ranking officers were
also among those killed, according to Reuters.
The circumstances of Saturday's attack remain unclear. There are
several versions of what happened.
The Defense Ministry has told Reuters that al-Karoui, commander
of the army's Seventh Division, and several other high-ranking
officers were killed by a roadside bomb as they were pursuing
militants at an Al-Qaeda training camp.
At the same time Al-Jazeera reported that a convoy of the 7th
Army Division was attacked by the fighters of the Islamic State
of Iraq, an al-Qaeda terrorist group.
However, according to another version, the senior officers were
killed in a suicide bomb attack as three attackers wearing
explosive belts detonated themselves in the western town of
Rutba, 360 km (225 miles) west of Baghdad.
"All that we know so far is three suicide bombers wearing
explosive vests came from nowhere and detonated themselves among
the officers," a military source said.
According to AFP, when the assault began, the soldiers were hit
by suicide bombers, and when they entered buildings booby traps
exploded.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Militant Islamists have responded to the attack saying online
that al-Karoui’s death is retribution for the killing of more
than 40 people in a raid on a Sunni protest camp that he oversaw
back in April, according to Reuters.
Over 8,000 people have died in Iraq this year, according to Iraq
Body Count’s estimates – making it the bloodiest year for the
country since 2008. In November alone, 948 people were killed as
a result of violence in the country.
In December, at least 352 people have died in attacks across the
country so far, according to AP.