Hostages crisis ends in western Iraq with 3 dead

[October 03, 2011]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi officials say security forces have stormed a police station where gunmen were holding police and civilians hostage, leaving three people dead and bringing an end to the standoff.

Brig. Mohammed al-Fahdawi of the Iraqi Army's 7th Division in Anbar province said three of the hostages died in the Monday morning incident along with all of the gunmen.

The gunmen were disguised as police officers when they entered the station in the town of al-Baghdadi in western Iraq and took police officers as well as civilians working there hostage.

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP's earlier story is below.

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BAGHDAD (AP) -- Insurgents disguised as police officers burst into a police station in western Iraq Monday, opened fire and blew up an explosives vest before taking a number of people hostage, including the town's mayor, Iraqi officials said.

The Iraqi Army was surrounding the police station in the town of al-Baghdadi, some 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of Baghdad in Anbar province, said the deputy provincial governor, Dhari Arkan. It was not immediately clear how many people were being held inside the station, or whether the attackers had made any demands.

The ongoing standoff in western Iraq's Anbar province demonstrates the vulnerability of the Iraqi security forces at a time when American troops are swiftly drawing down their presence after more than eight years of war.

The attackers broke into the police station wearing police uniforms to disguise themselves and immediately opened fire upon entering, provincial police officials said. Then one of the insurgents blew himself up, the officials said.

Among the hostages is the mayor of al-Baghdadi, whose office is on the second floor of the police station, according to the officials.

This mayor of the nearby town of Hit, Hikmat Juber, confirmed the attack and hostage standoff. He said a number of officials working on the second floor of the building where some provincial offices were located were also taken hostage.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Anbar province has been a hotbed of Iraq's insurgency for years. Sunni militants aligned with terror groups such as al-Qaida often attack the local police and military who they see as traitors and supporters of the Shiite-led government.

Under a 2008 agreement, all American forces must leave Iraq by the end of this year, although U.S. and Iraqi officials have been discussing whether to have a small U.S. military presence in Iraq into next year.

[Associated Press]

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