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Security forces fight IS militants in Iraq's Anbar

Xinhua, January 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iraqi security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters on Sunday fought heavy clashes with the Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a military commander and a security source said.

In the morning, a suicide truck bomb tried to approach the troops' positions in Sajjariyah district in eastern part of the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, but an Iraqi warplane bombed the truck before reaching its target without causing human casualty among the troops, Major General Ismail al-Mahallawi told reporters in the province.

The troops continued their clearing operation in Sajjariyah district as the IS militants heavily planted bombs in the buildings while a few IS militants still carrying out sporadic attacks against the troops using the ruined buildings as hideouts, al-Mahallawi said.

The foiled suicide attempt was the latest in a series of IS attacks on positions of security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters, who captured most of Ramadi from the extremist group on Dec. 28.

The Iraqi national flag was raised on the government complex in downtown Ramadi, but sporadic battles continued with IS militants in the eastern part of the city and in the open areas north of it.

Also in the province, dozens of IS militants carried out attack on the positions of the security forces in Albu Haiyat area in east of the town of Haditha, some 200 km northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, but were repelled by the security forces and local paramilitary tribal fighters, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

During the heavy clashes, the troops destroyed an IS vehicle with anti-tank missile and killed six militants aboard, while the stubborn resistance of the security forces forced the extremist militants to withdraw from the scene, the source said.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition warplanes conducted an air strike on the IS positions in Jubba area near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of Baghdad, leaving at least eight militants killed, the source added.

Government troops and allied militias have been fighting for months 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. Endit