Iraqi officials say security forces have retaken control of a police station in western Iraq where gunmen had taken several people hostage.

The officials said at least three people were killed, but it was not clear if they died in the initial attack Monday or during the operation to regain control of the station.

The compound in al-Baghdadi, located in Anbar province about 200 kilometers west of the capital Baghdad, also holds the office of the town's mayor.

Violence in Iraq is down from the peak of 2006 and 2007, but U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed concerns about Baghdad's ability to cope with security as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year.