BAGHDAD (AP) — Suspected Sunni insurgents ambushed a minibus carrying police recruits near the Syrian border yesterday, killing all 11 passengers, Iraqi officials said. It was the first deadly attack since Iraqi forces began a major sweep against al Qaeda fighters in the region.
The attack was the bloodiest in months against police. It left the minibus riddled with bullets in the desert west of Mosul, where the crackdown has been centered. Some al Qaeda fighters are thought to have fled the city toward neighboring Syria.
Police discovered the bodies of the police recruits and their minibus near Baaj, a remote town 20 miles from the Syrian border, according to a provincial official in Baaj and a Mosul police officer. The policemen, most from Baaj, were returning from their recruitment camp, they said.
It appeared that a large group of insurgents had ambushed the minibus with a spray of gunfire. Nine bodies, including the driver’s, were found still in the vehicle and two on the ground outside, the two officials said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
The provincial official said the attack had the hallmarks of al Qaeda in Iraq and could have been in retaliation for the Mosul crackdown, started more than a week ago.
The U.S. military said it was looking into reports of the attack.
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