Security forces foil suicide car bomb attempts in Iraq's Anbar

Iraqi security forces on Thursday foiled four attempted suicide car bomb attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

Four suicide bombers drove their explosive-laden cars toward military positions near Nadhum al-Tharthar, north of the IS-held city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Security forces fired anti-tank missiles and destroyed three of the suicide car bombs, killing the three suicide bombers, while a U.S.-led coalition warplane destroyed the fourth and killed its bomber, the source said.

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.

In a separate incident, an army helicopter reportedly crashed late on Wednesday near the town of Ameriyat al-Fallujah, some 40 km west of Baghdad, killing two crew members.

The crash, blamed on apparent technical malfunctions, occurred after another chopper went down the day before in Iraq's eastern province of Wasit, leaving up to nine people dead, including three crew members, according to Iraqi military sources.

Tuesday's crash of the Russian-made Mi-17 was also said to be caused by technical malfunctions. Endit