Gunmen kill 12 Iraqi soldiers

2005-02-03 11:06

Kirkuk - Gunmen ambushed a bus carrying new Iraqi army recruits on a highway in northern Iraq, killing 12 soldiers, an officer said on Thursday.

The newly trained Iraqi troops were travelling to the northern city of Kirkuk, where they had been assigned to guard oil facilities.

Armed men ambushed their minibus on Wednesday night near the village of Zab, 65km southwest of the city, killing 12 of the men, Major General Anwar Mohammed Amin said.

The ambush was the deadliest single attack since Sunday's general elections.

Insurgents frequently target members of the United States-trained Iraqi security forces, whom they consider collaborators with foreign occupiers.

- AP