Gunmen disguised in army fatigues kill 29 people in Baghdad

BAGHDAD: At least 29 people were killed, including women and children, when gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms stormed a town in the volatile Diyala province, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Dozens of gunmen disguised as Iraqi army but in civilian vehicles stormed the Dwailiyah village north of the city of Baquba late on Monday," said Colonel Raghib al-Omairi, spokesman of Diyala operations command.

The attackers opened fire on the residents, killing 29 of them, many were women and children and wounding four, he said, adding that some people were mutilated before they were shot dead.

Baquba, the capital city of Diyala, which stretches from Baghdad to the Iranian border to the east, has long been the hotbed of insurgency and sectarian violence since the US-led invasion in 2003.    

Since June 19, more than 10,000 troops, including 2,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen, backed by US aircraft, have been hunting for the Al Qaida militants operating in the volatile province.