Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Photo: wiki commons.

NY Times – Al Qaeda insurgents clashed with Iraqi security forces on Thursday, the second attack this week in what Al Qaeda in Iraq’s leader has depicted as a new offensive aimed at recapturing lost ground.

At least 12 people were killed, including five Iraqi policemen and seven militants, according to a police source in Diyala Province. The Associated Press reported that an Iraqi helicopter was shot down in the attack, but Iraqi officials said that it had only been damaged.

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