'Troops kill 40 gunmen near Iraqi capital'

April 03, 2014

Fighting between Iraqi government troops and al-Qaeda-inspired militants killed 40 gunmen and an army officer today near Baghdad, authorities said, as attacks continued elsewhere in the country ahead of elections this month.

In a statement posted on the Interior Ministry's website, spokesman Saad Maan Ibrahim said that members of security forces foiled an assault by the militants on a military base in Youssifiyah, killing 40 "terrorist attackers."