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IS militants execute 33 people in Iraq's Anbar province

Xinhua, April 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Islamic State (IS) militants executed 33 people, including women and children, near the city of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said on Saturday.

The IS militants captured the 33 people on Friday after the militants took control of Albu Farraj area in north of Ramadi, some 110 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Late Friday, the IS group executed 15 allegedly for cooperation with the security forces and government-backed Sahwa Sunni paramilitary groups, the source said, adding that the other 18 people from Albu Farraj residents were executed later for similar reasons.

"All the victims were shot dead with bullets in their heads," the source said.

On Friday morning, the IS militants carried out attacks on Albu Farraj area from several directions and after fierce clashes with the security forces and allied Sunni tribesmen, the group captured large parts of the area located on the northern side of Euphrates River which separates the area from the city of Ramadi, the source said.

Friday battles in Albu Farraj forced dozens of families to leave their homes and resort to Ramadi, which itself is partially seized by the IS militants, the source added.

Early on Saturday, the U.S.-led coalition aircraft carried out an airstrike against the IS positions in Albu Farraj area, the source said, without giving further details, as the area is still under control of the IS group.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi forces and allied militias, known as Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization, withdrew from the al-Sajariyah area, just east of Ramadi, and entered the nearby Habbaniyah airbase, the source said, adding that the move was apparently to let the international coalition aircraft to carry out airstrikes on the IS positions at the scene.

The withdrawal came three days after the security forces backed by thousands of allied Shiite and Sunni militias took control of Sajariyah after fierce clashes.

The Wednesday operation was designed to cut the supply routes of the IS militants between Ramadi and the nearby airbase of Habbaniyah, as well as to seize the roads between the partially IS-held Ramadi and the militant seized city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad.

The IS group has seized parts of Iraq's largest province Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad, but several counter attacks by security forces and Shiite militias have pushed them back. Endit