Militants ambush convoy with off-duty Iraq soldiers, kill 10

Soldier with the Iraqi special forces walk through the streets of Mosul as fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group continues on Saturday, April 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)(AP Photo/Bram Janssen) (The Associated Press)

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A soldier with the Iraqi special forces reloads his weapon on a rooftop in west Mosul as fighting between Iraqi troops and the Islamic State group continues, Sunday, April 23, 2017.(AP Photo/Bram Janssen) (The Associated Press)

A sniper with the Iraqi special forces aims at an Islamic State position inside a house in west Mosul as fighting between Iraqi in the city continues, Sunday, April 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen) (The Associated Press)

BAGHDAD – Iraq's military says militants have ambushed a convoy of off-duty soldiers near a town in the country's sprawling western desert, killing at least 10 and wounding 20.

Maj. Emad al-Dulaimi said on Monday that the attack took place the night before near the town of Rutba. He says the militants were armed with assault rifles and rockets.

It wasn't immediately clear who carried out the attack but al-Dulaimi blamed the Islamic State group.

IS has carried out many similar attacks targeting Iraqi forces in the past months to detract from the ongoing battle between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul.

Rutba lies about 390 kilometers west of Baghdad in the country's vast Anbar province. It's the last sizable town on the way to the border with Jordan.