Suicide bombers storm Iraq ministry building, 18 killed
Source: Reuters
Six suicide bombers burst into an Iraqi ministry building, took hostages and killed at least 18 people including themselves on Thursday before security forces regained control, a senior official said.
The brazen attack on the building belonging to the Ministry of Transportation in northeast Baghdad coincides with a month-long standoff between the Iraqi army and anti-government fighters in the western province of Anbar.
A senior security source said the six militants took a number of hostages and killed four of them inside the building, which was used to receive visiting delegations. It was not immediately known where the other eight victims died.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but state buildings are a target for Sunni Islamist insurgents who have been regaining momentum in a campaign to destabilize the Shi'ite Muslim-led government.
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Officials said the six men who had stormed the transport ministry facility and taken several hostages were killed.
Two policemen who had been guarding the building also died, they added. But one security source put the toll at 18.
No group has claimed responsibility, though Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda have mounted similar attacks.
BBC
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