Insurgents storm Iraq police station, 10 missing

Baghdad, Mar 10: Ten Iraqi policemen were missing after insurgents attacked a police station north of Baghdad today, killing one policeman and wounding three more, a police source said.

The source said a group of insurgents stormed the police station in Hibhib, in Diyala province, setting fire to vehicles and destroying the building.

The attack raised fears the 10 missing men could have been kidnapped. It comes days after al Qaeda-linked militants released a video of the execution of at least 14 police officers kidnapped from another town in Diyala.

A group called the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for that attack and said it was in revenge for the reported rape of a Sunni Arab woman. The government has said there was no evidence the women in question was raped but the incident still sparked an outcry and calls for revenge from Sunni Arab insurgent groups.

Religiously mixed Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, has witnessed some of the worst sectarian violence in Iraq between Shi'ites and Sunnis. A suicide bomber killed 30 people in a cafe in a town in Diyala on Wednesday.

The US commander for northern Iraq said he had asked for more troops to clamp down on insurgent attacks and sectarian violence in the province.

US military commanders say militants are using Diyala -- a rural area of palm groves and orchards -- as a launching ground for attacks in Baghdad.

Iraqi police and army are frequently targeted by al Qaeda and other militant groups, underlining the challenge faced by the government in stabilising the country.

Sunni Arabs in Diyala have also accused the police of being infiltrated by Shi'ite militias.

General David Petraeus, the overall US commander in Iraq, said yesterday Diyala required attention and Baquba was an ''area of concern'' because of sectarian tension. He indicated such areas would get more troops.

Reuters