Gunmen in Iraq kill 14 at iftar

Gunmen overrun an Iraqi army checkpoint and fire on a trailer packed with policemen breaking their Ramadan fast, killing 14 in the country's volatile western Anbar province.

BAGHDAD // Gunmen overran an Iraqi army checkpoint and fired on a trailer packed with policemen breaking their Ramadan fast, killing 14 in the country's volatile western Anbar province, authorities said yesterday.

The attack took place on Wednesday as the troops marked the end of the first day of fasting. It was the latest in a string of militant strikes that has killed more than 2,600 people since April.

Gunmen launched their assault on the checkpoint near the town of Barwana, which lies about 220 kilometres north-west of Baghdad. Barwana's mayor, Meyasser Abdul-Mohsin, said three soldiers were killed in the incident.

The attackers then made their way to a nearby trailer that is used by oil industry police assigned to protect pipelines. The men inside were seated for the iftar meal, Mr Abdul-Mohsin said.

The gunmen fired on the trailer and then set it on fire before making their getaway, the mayor said. Eleven police were killed.

Alsi in Anbar, security forces clashed with militants who tried to ram their explosives-laden car into a police station near the provincial capital of Ramadi. Two policemen and three militants were killed.