Security forces, air strikes kill 13 IS militants in western Iraq

The Iraqi security forces backed by Iraqi and the U.S.-led coalition aircraft on Sunday foiled four suicide car bomb attacks and killed 13 Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.

The international aircraft carried out an air strike on the IS positions in an area near the town of Khaldiyah, some 80 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving 13 IS militants killed and destroying two houses and three of their vehicles, the source said citing intelligence report.

Separately, the security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, repelled an attack by two suicide car bombs on military positions in Albu Farraj area, just north of the IS-held provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The troops destroyed the two car bombs and killed the two suicide bombers by anti-tank guided missiles before they reach their targets, the source said.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition aircraft bombarded two suicide car bombs before as they were on their way to attack the army positions in Jeraishi area, destroying the two car bombs and killing the two suicide bombers, the source added.

In addition, the IS militants pounded the town of Ameriyat al-Fallujah, some 40 km west of Baghdad, with mortar rounds and rockets killing three policemen and wounding five people, the source added.

The attacks in Anbar province came as Iraqi security forces and allied militias have been fighting for months to retake control of key cities and towns in Iraq's largest province from the extremist IS militants, which seized most of Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad. Endit