MUQDADIYA, March 21: Hundreds of guerillas stormed an Iraqi police station on Tuesday in a pre-dawn raid to free inmates, triggering the deadliest firefight this year, which left 18 police and 10 guerillas dead. The Consultative Council of Mujahedeen, an umbrella insurgent grouping led by the Al-Qaeda terror group, claimed responsibility.
The day after Iraq marked the third anniversary of the US-led invasion, army and police commandos were rushed to the town of Muqdadiya, northeast of Baghdad, to hunt down the large guerilla force and recapture the 32 prisoners they freed.
Mayor Alewi Farhan described a sophisticated operation lasting an hour and a half that involved 200 insurgents using an array of weapons.
“The insurgents pulled off a very well-planned attack,” he said, describing how a car bomb sealed the eastern road to the site and a roadside bomb blocked the southern road, impeding reinforcements.
When reinforcements were rushed to the town, one commando was killed and another wounded. US forces responding to the attack also reported being ambushed but sustained no casualties.
Officials said at least 18 policemen and guards were killed, along with 10 rebels, in the raid on a compound housing the town’s main police station, courthouse and municipal offices.
Guerillas battled Iraqi and US reinforcements, set fire to the police station, courthouse and 20 police vehicles before making their escape.
The freed detainees were being held on a number of charges, including guerilla activity.
The fighting also left 13 members of the government forces wounded and led to the capture of 16 wounded guerillas.
Police later threw a cordon around the town as local inhabitants locked themselves in their homes and the army swept the area looking for the rebels.
