A medic at the main hospital in the nearby town of Balad said they had received the bodies of seven soldiers and were treating two others for wounds from the attack on the base in Albu Slaib, east of the town of Dhuluiyah, which lies 90 kilometres (55 miles) north of Baghdad.

An Iraqi army first lieutenant put the toll at 15 dead and four wounded.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity.