15 Iraqi security members killed in IS bomb attacks in Anbar

A total of 15 Iraqi security members were killed and 21 others wounded in suicide car bomb attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants and a booby-trapped house explosion in Iraq's western province of Anbar on Saturday, a provincial security source said.

An IS suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy on the main road leading to the military airbase of Ain al-Asad airbase, near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of Baghdad, destroying three military vehicles, killing nine soldiers aboard and injuring 16 others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Ain al-Asad military base is used by Iraqi military forces, as well housing hundreds of U.S. Marines as military trainers and advisers.

In a separate incident, U.S.-led coalition warplanes bombarded two suicide truck bombs in Huseiba al-Shrqiyah area as the two vehicles are said to have been on their way to attack the positions of the security forces in Sajjariyah district in eastern the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, the source said.

Sajjariyah district has been freed recently from IS militants by security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters, but clearing operations continued as the militants densely planted bombs in buildings, whilst small groups of IS militants are still carrying out sporadic attacks against the troops using the buildings as hideouts.

Also on Saturday, a booby-trapped house detonated during a search operation in the district of Soufiyah in eastern Ramadi, leaving six security members dead and five others wounded, the source added.

In an earlier report on Saturday, a provincial security source told Xinhua that Iraqi security forces backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft repelled an attack by IS militants with three suicide truck bombs on a military base in Nadhem al-Tharthar area in northeast of Ramadi, which is located some 110 km west of Baghdad.

He said the troops fought back the attackers and destroyed two truck bombs with anti-tank guided missiles before reaching their target, while aircraft of the U.S.-led coalition pounded the IS militants and destroyed the third truck bomb at the desert area outside the targeted military base.

According to the source, seven security members were reportedly wounded in the clashes with the IS, while at least four IS militants and the three suicide bombers were killed.

Government troops and allied militias have been fighting for months now in order to regain control of key cities from IS militants in the towns in Anbar, Iraq's largest province, as IS militants had previously seized most of Anbar and attempted to advance towards Baghdad.

Iraq is currently witnessing a massive wave of violence since the IS gained control of sections of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014, when surprisingly Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and posts and fled. Enditem