Iraqi insurgents ambush police recruits, killing 13

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct 22 (Reuters) A bomb blast and an ambush by gunmen on a convoy of buses near the town of Baquba killed 13 police recruits today and several more recruits were kidnapped, a local official said.

Another 25 police recruits were wounded, the official said, in an attack that highlights the problems the Iraqi government faces in building a strong and independent police force capable of bringing security to Iraq.

The official said the buses were taking the police recruits to Baghdad from a base which was attacked by insurgents using mortars and rifle fire yesterday. The attack on Saturday left many dead and 80 casualties, the official said.

Baquba, 65 km north of Baghdad, is in an area with a mixed population of Shi'ites and Sunni Arabs and it has seen relentless sectarian bloodshed in recent months.

Iraqi security forces are a prime target for insurgents who condemn those who sign up with the U.S.-led forces as collaborators. Recruiting and training police and army units is crucial to US hopes of being able to hand over responsibility for security and reduce its own troop levels.

The local official said the insurgents who ambushed the convoy left the 13 bodies lined up on the highway, boobytrapped with improvised bombs.

Baquba is in Diyala province where many locals are hostile to US forces and al Qaeda militants have strong influence.

REUTERS PDS KP0107