At Least Seven Dead In Attack On Iraqi Army Installation

A plume of smoke is seen on the Baghdad skyline following the attack.

Police in Baghdad say at least seven people were killed today in an attack on an army installation by suicide bombers and gunmen.

The attack near the headquarters of the Rusafa Military Command in eastern Baghdad left over 20 people wounded.

Reports say five suicide bombers armed with rifles tried to storm the base. Two attackers blew themselves up at the back gate of the compound after being shot, while a third detonated a minibus packed with explosives at the entrance.

The remaining two fought an hourlong gunbattle with troops before being killed, said Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi.

Today's attack comes less than a week after Washington declared U.S. combat operations in Iraq over and said the Iraq war is in its final stages.

The military compound is the same facility that was being used as an army recruitment center on August 17 when a suicide bomber killed 59 people there.

compiled from agency reports