Baghdad: A total of 52 people were killed and 32 others wounded in violent attacks across Iraq, including 40 militants killed in a single battle with Iraqi forces, police said. The deadliest incident occurred near Iraqi capital Baghdad when security forces fiercely clashed with gunmen who tried to storm a military base outside the town of Yousifiyah, some 25 km south of Baghdad, interior ministry said in a statement.
The battle resulted in the killing of 40 militants and one army officer, as well as the seizing of two heavy machine-guns, 15 rifles and five grenade launchers, according to the statement.