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Iraq forces kill more than 40 militants near Baghdad
Iraqi soldiers killed more than 40 militants in clashes near Baghdad on Thursday as anti-government fighters edged close to the capital just weeks before national parliamentary elections.On Thursday morning, militants attacked an army camp in Yusifiyah, just southwest of the capital, the interior ministry said in a statement. More than 40 insurgents died in the ensuing firefight, with one army officer also killed. âIraqi security forces confronted a failed attempt by Daash gang members to break into a military camp,â the statement said. âThe security forces ... killed more than 40 terrorist attackers, and the attack resulted in the death of one of our officers when he was confronting these criminal gangs.â Two heavy machineguns, 15 rifles and five grenade launchers were seized, along with other equipment, the statement said. The clashes in Yusifiyah come after days of fighting in the Zoba and Zaidan areas west of Baghdad. The fighting spurred concerns that militants who have for months controlled the town of Fallujah, a short drive from Baghdad, could be looking to open a new front to encroach on the capital. Posted by: Steve White 2014-04-06 |
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