BAGHDAD, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Eight soldiers in the Iraqi army were killed in an ambush by unknown gunmen Friday in the north part of the country, police said.
The attack took place in AL Rayash village, north of Baiji, about 200 km north of the capital city Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua.
The soldiers, who were on vacation, were going from Mosul to their base in Taji, 40 km north Baghdad, when they were attacked by the unidentified gunmen, he said.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but al- Qaida front in Iraq frequently claimed the responsibility of most deadly attacks in the country, raising fears that the terrorist group could return to widespread violence.
Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks are still common in war-torn Iraq despite the dramatic decrease in violence since its peak in 2006 and 2007, when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.
On Thursday, up to 21 people were killed and some 50 wounded in a series of car bombings and shootings targeting government offices in downtown Baghdad.
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