Gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint near the northern city of Mosul on Thursday, killing ten soldiers and wounded one, local police source told Xinhua.

Over 40 gunmen stormed a checkpoint manned by 11 Iraqi army soldiers on main road between Badosh and Kesik areas, west of Mosul, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attack resulted in the killing of 10 soldiers and wounding another, the source said, adding that the attackers fled the scene before U.S. and Iraqi troops arrived the area.

The Iraqi government kicked off on Tuesday a security plan dubbed Operation Imposing Law in the city as a continuation of the security plan launched on Feb. 14 in Baghdad.

"The plan will include setting up checkpoints in and outside Mosul, raiding gunmen's hideouts and gaining security for the city 's hot spots," the governor of Mosul, Duraiyd Kashmoulah said.

Mosul, the capital city of the predominantly Sunni province of Nineveh, is some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital.

Source: Xinhua