Four killed as mortars blast Iraq National Guard base

Four Iraqi National Guardsmen were killed and up to 80 injured after a mortar attack on a base north of Baghdad, the US military said today.

Four Iraqi National Guardsmen were killed and up to 80 injured after a mortar attack on a base north of Baghdad, the US military said today.

The US command, citing the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, said mortars fell during an attack today on the Iraqi National Guard headquarters near Taji, 12 miles north of Baghdad.

Coalition forces helped evacuate the wounded by helicoper to military medical facilities for treatment, it said.

Insurgents regularly target Iraq's security forces, which are seen as collaborators with the United States and its allies. Hundreds have been killed in a wave of bombings, mortar attacks and shooting sprees since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003.