An attack at a police headquarters northeast of Baghdad has killed 18 policemen and wounded nine others on Tuesday. (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

    BAGHDAD, March 21 (Xinhua) -- An attack at a police headquarters northeast of Baghdad has killed 18 policemen and wounded nine others on Tuesday, a source from the U.S.-Iraqi liaison office told Xinhua.

    "Several groups of armed men equipped with machine guns blocked all the roads leading to the police headquarters and nearby government buildings before they launched their attack," said the source from the Joint Coordination Center of Diyala, where the headquarters of Muqdadiya is located.

    "The armed men opened fire from their machine guns, grenades and rocket-propelled grenades, killing 18 policemen, including two police officers and wounding nine others, including two civilians," the source said.

    "The attackers destroyed the police headquarters, the courthouse and other nearby government buildings, burning 20 police vehicles and civilian cars before they fled the scene," the source added.

    He said the armed men released 32 detainees from the jail of the police headquarters. One of the attackers was killed, he added.

(Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

    Mehdi al-Jubouri, a policeman who escaped the attack, blamed the Iraqi army and U.S. forces stationed outside the town for their slow reaction.

    "We were hoping the Iraqi army and the U.S. troops to respond rapidly, but it was too late when they reached the scene," Jubouri told Xinhua by telephone.

    "The attack took place after the dawn prayers and lasted for almost an hour. They released all the detainees, most of whom were wanted for criminal charges," he added.

    Earlier, a police source put the casualties on 15 policemen killed and six wounded when many armed men who arrived in cars and pickup trucks took over the government buildings, including a police headquarters, courthouse and the city hall in central Muqdadiya at about 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT).

    U.S. helicopters hovered over the area as the attackers escaped into orchards around the town, some 100 km northeast of Baghdad, the source added. Enditem