14 arrested over Iraqi police attack

Iraqi security forces have imposed a curfew on the Tarmiya area north of the capital Baghdad, in coordination with special forces units raiding homes to arrest 14 suspects accused of involvement in Wednesday’s attack on police buildings. “Special forces have been carrying out raids since the early hours of Thursday morning in Tarmiya, north of Baghdad,” Interior Ministry sources told Arabstoday. The 14 suspects are accused of launching armed attacks on Tarniya’s police department on Wednesday evening, killing its director and a colonel inside. Another officer and three other men were also killed in the raid. Nine more were injured. The police raids had been based on “accurate intelligence information” alleging the involvement of local insurgents, authorities said. Violence has returned to Baghdad with growing force since February. On April 15, at least 79 people were killed as six car bombs ripped through the city. However 207 alone died on March 19 when around 15 car bombs and roadside explosives struck areas across the Iraqi capital.