Iraqi soldiers backed by Shia militias fought Sunni rebels for control of a military base north-east of Baghdad on Saturday as a UN envoy warned of chaos if divided lawmakers do not make progress on Sunday towards naming a government. Forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched an early morning push to repel Islamic State militants who fought their way on Thursday into a military base on the edge of Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) north-east of the capital.
Heavy fighting raged for hours and was continuing on Saturday afternoon, local security sources said. Seven civilians including children from nearby villages were killed by helicopter gunship fire, police and medics said. Sources at the morgue and hospital in the town of Baquba said they had received the bodies of 15 Shia militia fighters transferred after the morning's fighting. State TV also reported that 24 "terrorists" had been killed.
Comments
Comments are closed.