Gunmen early Tuesday attacked a police headquarters of Muqdadiya northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 15 policemen and wounding six others, a police source said.

Many armed men arrived in cars and pickup the government buildings in central Muqdadiya at about 6:00 AM (03:00 GMT), killing at least 15 policemen and wounding six others," the source said.

The armed men, equipped with rocket-propelled grenade, mortars and AK-47 assault rifles, released all the detainees in the police headquarters in the attack that lasted almost an hour, said the source.

US helicopters hovered over the area as the attackers escaped into orchards around the town, some 100 km northeast of Baghdad, he added.

The US military has no immediate comment on the incident.

(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2006)