Death toll of Iraqi police recruits rose to 13 near Baquba

Death toll of Iraqi police recruits by unidentified gunmen near the city of Baquba northeast of Baghdad on Sunday rose to 13, a well-informed Interior Ministry official told Xinhua.

Earlier sources said that 12 police recruits were killed and 24 others wounded by gunmen near the city of Baquba northeast of Baghdad.

"Gunmen ambushed a convoy of buses carrying police recruits at midday near Baquba, killing 13 and injuring 24," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding several missing recruits were feared abducted.

All of the police recruits were from Sadr City, a Shiite slum in eastern Baghdad. The buses were taking them from a base to Baghdad for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, the official added.

Baquba, 60 km northeast of Baghdad, has seen relentless sectarian bloodshed in recent months.

Source: Xinhua