Gunmen have shot dead 14 Shi’ite fuel-truck drivers after checking their identity papers at a makeshift roadblock on a highway leading north from Baghdad.
Authorities say the gunmen also stole the drivers’ vehicles.
The killings took place near Sulaiman Pek, about 160 kilometers north of Baghdad, after clashes erupted late on July 24 between militants and security forces within the town.
Security officials say the militants were armed with mortars and assault rifles as fighting continued in the town into the early morning hours of July 25.
At least one civilian was reportedly killed in the battle.
Earlier on July 24, gunmen ambushed a minibus in western Tikrit, shooting dead four soldiers.
Nine police also were killed by militants in pickup trucks who attacked a checkpoint at Shura, about 50 kilometers south of Mosul.
Authorities say the gunmen also stole the drivers’ vehicles.
The killings took place near Sulaiman Pek, about 160 kilometers north of Baghdad, after clashes erupted late on July 24 between militants and security forces within the town.
Security officials say the militants were armed with mortars and assault rifles as fighting continued in the town into the early morning hours of July 25.
At least one civilian was reportedly killed in the battle.
Earlier on July 24, gunmen ambushed a minibus in western Tikrit, shooting dead four soldiers.
Nine police also were killed by militants in pickup trucks who attacked a checkpoint at Shura, about 50 kilometers south of Mosul.