At least 12 soldiers were killed in northern Iraq Thursday by militants armed with automatic weapons, according to Agence France Presse.
An additional 15 others were also wounded in the attack that was reported by medical and police authorities in Mahallabiyah, west of Mosul.
The Nineveh province in which Mosul and Mahallabiyah are located, is considered one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq.
Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of 2014, and more than 400 in April alone.
