By Xinhua
Baghdad : Gunmen carried out an attack against Iraqi Army soldiers and anti-Al Qaeda fighters in southern Baghdad Thursday, killing 11 Iraqi troops and wounding three, an interior ministry source said.
The gunmen first attacked a checkpoint manned by Iraqi soldiers in the Hor Rijab area, around midday, killing three soldiers and wounding three, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The attackers also seized a military Humvee at the checkpoint and used it to surprise the local Awakening council fighters, the source said, adding that the gunmen opened fire at the council’s fighters, killing eight of them.
The area in the southern part of the capital is a hot spot of Al Qaeda activity. Fighters of the local Awakening council found 30 decomposed bodies in the area Nov 17.