Jihadist fighters killed at least six soldiers in western Iraq in an attack on Monday that began with five suicide bombers driving explosives-laden vehicles into a checkpoint, officials said.
A senior officer in the Iraqi army, which was manning the checkpoint near the town of Al-Baghdadi in Anbar province, said nine soldiers were also wounded in the morning attack. He said after the suicide attacks some 25 jihadists launched an assault on the checkpoint, the main one on the road leading to Al-Asad air base, where a large number of Iraqi troops and foreign advisers are stationed.
About five hours of clashes ensued, he said, and all the attackers were killed, with the support of strikes from the US-led international coalition.
Malallah al-Obeidi, the head of the Al-Baghdadi local council, confirmed the details of the attack and said that Iraqi forces were in control of the checkpoint.