35 IS militants killed in clashes with security forces in Iraq

The Iraqi security forces killed 35 Islamic State (IS) militants on Sunday in clashes in the provinces of Anbar and Salahudin, security sources said.

In Anbar province, the security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters fought fierce battles with IS militants and managed to extend their grip in Sajjariyah and Juwiba districts in the eastern part of the provincial capital city Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The battle, which were covered by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition aircraft, left at least 25 militants killed and six of their vehicles destroyed, while four security members were also killed and some nine others wounded during the day, the source said.

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

For months the troops have been fighting to retake control of key cities and towns in Anbar, Iraq's largest province, from IS militants who previously seized most of Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad.

In Salahudin province, the security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, repelled an IS attack in the early morning in the village of Salam, south of the oil refinery city of Baiji, some 200 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. At least 10 IS militants were killed, a provincial security source anonymously told Xinhua.

A recent UN report estimated that more than 7,500 people have been killed and 14,800 injured in 2015 due to the armed conflict in Iraq. Endit