Iraqi officials say militants have kidnapped and killed at least 20 army soldiers in an attack on a military base in northern Iraq.
Iraq police said the attack was carried out in the Ain al-Jahash area, south of the city of Mosul, on Saturday night.
The attackers abducted the soldiers from the small military base at around 11:00 p.m., and their bodies were found nearby an hour later, officials say.
On April 17, militants killed 12 soldiers and wounded 15 in a similar attack on a military base west of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest spate of violence in Iraq, but al Qaeda-linked militants, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), often target Iraqi security forces and have been blamed by the central government.
Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of attacks unprecedented in recent years. Based on official figures, over 1,000 people, mostly civilians, lost their lives in attacks across Iraq in April.
