Islamic State attacks army barracks in Iraq killing 11 soldiers

Mercenaries from the Islamic State attacked an army barracks in Al-Azim district, a mountainous area north of Baghdad on Friday, killing 11 soldiers, Iraqi security officials said.

The officials said the attack occurred in the Al-Azim district, in Diyala province. The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear, but two officials told The Associated Press that Islamic State mercenaries broke into the barracks at 3 am local time and shot dead the soldiers.

The officials said they weren’t authorized to issue official statements.

The attack more than 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital Baghdad was one of the deadliest targeting the Iraqi military in recent months.