Gunmen ambushed a United Nations peacekeeping team Saturday in Sudan's western region of Darfur, killing seven and wounding another 17 in the deadliest ever single attack on the international force in the country. The assault included sustained heavy fire from machine guns and possibly rocket-propelled grenades, targeting the force some 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of the town of Khor Abeche, U.N. forces spokesman Chris Cycmanick said. Reinforcements later arrived to rescue the wounded, who included two female police advisers, the force said in a statement. It wasn't immediately clear if any civilian personnel accompanied the team into the ambush, Cycmanick said. He declined to give the nationalities of those killed and wounded in the attack. Tanzanian troops have regularly patrolled the area in the past. About 40 countries have contributed military personnel or police to the peacekeeping force. The joint African Union-U.N. peacekeeping force, dubbed UNAMID, was established to protect civilians in Darfur, but also contributes to security for those providing humanitarian aid, verifying agreements, political reconciliation efforts and promoting human rights. It has about 16,500 troops and military observers and over 5,000 international police. -- SPA 23:18 LOCAL TIME 20:18 GMT تغريد
