ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The Iraqi security forces have foiled a suicide attack apparently targeting the US military advisors in an army base, Iraq’s media reported on Saturday quoting security officials. “Four suicide bombers with explosive belts tried to enter the military base in Aein Assad, west of Anbar province,” the Iraqi commander, Ali Daboun, told reporters. He added that security forces managed to shot and kill the attackers before they could reach their targets. Earlier this month a US military advisor was killed after militants shelled an army base in Makhmour, south of Erbil where Iraqi forces are stationed for the anticipated Mosul offensive. In a separate incident, two top Iraqi commanders were killed in Makhmour on Saturday where the army and allied Sunni militants carried out a three-day operation to retake villages near Mosul, according to local Kurdish commander, Najat Ali. Over the past month, Baghdad has stationed some 2,000 soldiers in the strategically significant area of Makhmour for the Mosul operation.
