Dozens of al Qaeda terrorists dressed in military uniforms and carrying forged arrest warrants massacred at least 25 policemen in Iraq Monday.

The gunmen attacked checkpoints as well as officers' homes early in the morning before hoisting al Qaeda's battle flag in Hadith, a town northwest of Baghdad.

"We consider this attack as a serious security breach and we believe that al Qaeda or groups linked to it are behind this," said Mohammed Fathi, spokesman for the governor of Iraq's western Anbar province where Haditha is located.

Escalating violence in Haditha, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold, raises concerns that al Qaeda will regain a foothold now that U.S. troops have departed.