Iraqi police recruits killed, kidnapped in ambush

Story Highlights

• NEW: At least 13 recruits reported killed, dozens kidnapped in ambush
• 83 U.S. troops killed in Iraq in October, highest monthly total this year
• 43 Iraqi civilians killed per day, up from 27, according to AP count
• Sunday bombs kill at least 7, many of them holiday shoppers

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Gunmen in Baquba ambushed two busloads of Iraqi police recruits Sunday, killing at least 13 and kidnapping dozens of others, security officials said.

A security official in Baquba said 15 recruits were killed in the morning attack and 25 were wounded; the Iraqi interior ministry in Baghdad said 13 were killed and 24 wounded.

The attackers planted roadside bombs, which struck at least one of the buses. Then they opened fire on the recruits, the Iraqi interior ministry said. (Watch young Iraqis describe growing up in the war -- 2:15 )

The interior ministry said at least 80 police recruits were on the buses. The security official said the recruits -- all Shiites -- were heading back to Baghdad to celebrate the end of Ramadan when they were attacked.

The security official said the Iraqi army arrived on the scene and clashed with gunmen for hours.

After the attack, Iraqi police started to collect the dead bodies, but discovered -- after a bomb exploded near one of the corpses -- that the attackers had left a bomb next to each body, the interior ministry said.

The police then called for the U.S. military, which defused 15 bombs so that the bodies could be collected safely.

The interior ministry said about half the recruits were missing after the attack.

Deadly month

The ambush is the latest attack in an especially violent period in Iraq. October has become the deadliest month this year for U.S. troops fighting in Iraq -- and there also has been a reported spike in the number of killings of Iraqi civilians.

The U.S. military announced Sunday the deaths of eight U.S. military personnel killed this weekend, bringing the military's death toll for the month to 83 -- the highest this year.

A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier died Sunday after his patrol struck a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

Two other Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers died Sunday after their patrol was hit by small-arms fire west of Baghdad, officials said.

A Task Force Lightning soldier died and three others were wounded in enemy action in Iraq's Salaheddin province, according to a U.S. military release. The soldier was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died Saturday "of injuries sustained from enemy action" in Anbar, the vast Sunni-dominated province west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

Three other Marines also died Saturday in Anbar as a result of combat, but it was not clear if all four were killed in the same fighting.

The highest monthly death toll this year had been in April, when 76 U.S. troops were killed.

The highest U.S. monthly death toll of the war was in November 2004 during the Falluja offensive, with 137 deaths.

A total of 2,795 troops have been killed in the war. Seven American contractors of the military also have died.

Ramadan violence increases death toll

An average of 43 Iraqis per day have been killed during the holy month of Ramadan, which began in late September, according to a count by The Associated Press.

That compares with an average daily death toll of about 27 since April 2005, AP said.

Sunday, insurgent attacks in and near Baghdad killed at least 23 people, including Iraqis preparing for Eid al-Fitr, a three-day festive period that signifies the end of Ramadan. (Watch how a festive time becomes a frightening time -- 1:38 )

Police in Baghdad also found another 50 bullet-riddled bodies, the Iraqi interior ministry said.

Bombings around Baghdad and Baquba Sunday killed seven people, including a suicide attacker, and wounded 35.

Fake hot line scheme discovered

An insurgent group known to wear Iraqi army uniforms recently distributed cards with false hot line numbers in an apparent attempt to target informants, a Ministry of Defense official told CNN Sunday.

Iraqi soldiers discovered the cards in southwest Baghdad, said Brigadier Ibrahim Shaker, press office director for the Defense Ministry.

The ministry issued a press release to warn Iraqis about the false cards, telling them to be cautious and to "avoid falling into the terrorist trap." The press release also listed the correct Defense Ministry hot lines.

The Defense and Interior ministries set up hot lines more than two years ago for people to call and report suspicious activities. The numbers are posted on televisions, billboards and in newspapers, alongside messages asking people to call and report suspicious activities.

Diplomat: U.S. arrogant, stupid in Iraq

A senior U.S. State Department diplomat told Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera that there is a strong possibility history will show the United States displayed "arrogance" and "stupidity" in its handling of the Iraq war.

Alberto Fernandez, director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Near East Affairs, made his comments on Saturday to the Qatar-based network.

"History will decide what role the United States played," he told Al-Jazeera in Arabic, based on CNN translations. "And God willing, we tried to do our best in Iraq."

"But I think there is a big possibility ... for extreme criticism and because undoubtedly there was arrogance and stupidity from the United States in Iraq," the diplomat told Al-Jazeera. (Watch Fernandez on Al-Jazeera -- :19)

"I can only assume his remarks must have been mistranslated. Those comments obviously don't reflect our policy," a senior Bush administration official said.

Fernandez told CNN that he was "not dissing U.S. policy."

"I know what the policy is and what the red lines are, and nothing I said hasn't been said before by senior officials," the diplomat told CNN.

Fernandez's comments came as President Bush gathered his senior generals to discuss changes to strategy in Iraq. (Watch Bush huddle with top military advisers on strategy -- 2:06 )

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Arwa Damon contributed to this report.

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