Security forces repel IS attack in western Iraq, extend control in Ramadi

Iraqi security forces on Thursday repelled Islamic State (IS) attacks in the western province of Anbar while extending their grip on the city of Ramadi, provincial security sources said.

Early Thursday morning, dozens of IS militants, backed by heavy mortar and rocket barrage, renewed attacks on the town of Barwana, some 190 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, but were repelled by government troops and local Sunni tribal fighters.

At least 18 IS militants and six security members were killed in the fighting, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

During the past few days, Barwana was the scene of a series of similar attacks by IS militants, who were also repelled, with air cover by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition aircraft.

The recent IS attacks on Barwana and other areas near the town of Haditha, some 200 km west of Baghdad, came after the group lost much of Anbar's provincial capital city of Ramadi in late December.

In Ramadi, security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters continued their operations to clear the eastern part of the city, which is located some 110 km west of Baghdad, the source said.

Security forces captured downtown Ramadi from IS control on Dec. 28, raising the Iraqi flag on the government complex there, but other parts of the city has not yet been fully secured due to a large numbers of bombs planted by the IS.

Meanwhile, international warplanes bombarded the industrial district in the IS-held town of Heet, some 160 km west of Baghdad, killing five militants and wounding eight others. Four civilians were also killed and six others wounded in the air strikes, another security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Also on Thursday, an Iraqi air strike struck al-Nassaf area west of the IS-held city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, killing 12 IS militants, the source said. Endit