Joint Iraqi-U.S. force liberated hostages in Diala Council building – security source

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: A joint Iraqi-U.S. force have implemented the operation of cornering the attackers against Diala Council’s building and liberating the persons, taken hostage by the attackers, who were disguised as uniformed policemen, a Diala police source said on Tuesday. “The operation of cornering the attackers and liberating the hostages, took place by joint Iraqi-U.S. forces,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency, adding that the operation ended with the killing of 8 persons, including 6 of the attackers and 2 policemen,” he said, but failed to give the number of  the wounded persons. A security source told IraqiNews.com early in the day that the result of the operation had reached 8 persons killed and 27 others injured. The security source said the attack began with a suicide bomber, who blew himself up at the entrance of the Council’s building, followed by another attacker, who blew up a booby-trapped car. “Five armed men, four of them disguised with police uniforms and the fifth dressed in Arab costume, had broken through the Council’s building, all wearing explosive belts,” he said, adding that “four of them were killed and the fifth injured and detained by the police, whilst two others were killed in blowing themselves up at the entrance of the building. Meanwhile, IraqiNews.com’s correspondent noticed that American tanks were spread in the main streets of Baaquba city, the center of Diala Province after the beginning of the attack.   SKH (TI)/SR 759