BAGHDAD — A gang of gunmen disguised in military-style uniforms and carrying forged arrest warrants killed 25 police today, then hoisted the battle flag of al- Qaida in a carefully planned early morning shooting spree in western Iraq, officials said.

The killings in Haditha highlight al-Qaida’s success in regaining a foothold in an area they once dominated through police executions and murdering city officials.

By going after police, the militants further alienate Baghdad’s protections over the desert city that sits closer to the Syrian border than the Iraqi capital, in part by intimidating those who want to join the security forces.

The city’s proximity to the border, just 65 miles away, means it is vital territory to al-Qaida if they want to ramp up operations in Syria to help overthrow the government of President Bashar Assad. Already, Sunni militants who revile Assad because he’s a member of an offshoot religion of Shiism are crossing from Iraq into Syria.

The killings carried out by al-Qaida this morning demonstrated a high degree of coordination, knowledge of their targets and a boldness that indicated little fear of the local security forces ability to fight back.

The violence began with an attack on a suburban checkpoint around 2 a. m. in Haditha and ended with the gang disappearing into the desert a half hour later.

“We consider this attack as a serious security breach and we believe that al-Qaida or groups linked to it are behind this,” said Mohammed Fathi, spokesman for the governor of Iraq’s western Anbar province where Haditha is located.

Iraqi officials described a systematic plot to kill police in Haditha, 140 miles ( 220 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, with attackers disguising themselves in military uniforms and driving cars painted to look like Iraqi interior ministry vehicles.

Fathi said the gang claimed they were military officials with arrest warrants for city police. They were stopped at a checkpoint outside Haditha, where they took away the guards’ mobile phones before shooting nine of them, he said.

The gang’s convoy, described by one Haditha police lieutenant as stretching 13 cars long, then stopped at the homes of two Haditha police commanders, including the colonel who served as the city’s SWAT team leader. Brandishing the fake arrest warrants, the gunmen forced the commanders into the convoy, and shot both less than a quarter- mile ( 400 meters) away, Fathi said.

Fathi said the gang had false arrest warrants for 15 police officials in Haditha. As their convoy moved through the city, they were stopped at another checkpoint near the city’s main market. A fierce gun battle broke out, with the gang raising the black flag of al-Qaida in a show of defiance.

news@timesrecord.com

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