Iraqi forces repel 4 IS attacks, foil suicide bomb threats

Iraqi security forces repelled four attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants Monday, killing 17 suicide bombers, according to both security sources and a government statement.

Four suicide bombers drove their explosive-laden vehicles close to the security forces' posts in the area of Albu Obied in Iraq's western province of Anbar, 110 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The troops shot the attackers, destroying three car bombs with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) before reaching the first defense line, while the fourth vehicle exploded close to the troops, killing six soldiers and injuring another five, said the source.

Concurrently, the U.S.-led coalition warplanes executed its air strikes against IS posts in Albu Obied, killing 15 militants and obliterating eight of their vehicles, added the source.

So far, security forces in December of last year have reclaimed Ramadi which is the provincial capital of the country's largest province of Anbar.

Also in Anbar, IS militants drove five suicide bomb-laden trucks into a military post east of the town of al-Baghdadi, 190 km northwest of Baghdad, however the troops and Iraqi aircraft conquered them before they reached the defense line, said the source.

Following the attempted suicide attacks, heavy clashes took place between dozens of IS militants as they stormed the very same military post, where they were yet again repelled by the troops, during which 17 IS militants were killed along with eight security members, added the source.

Meanwhile, paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, repelled an IS attack In Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, as three suicide car bombs attacked military posts west of the town of Seiniyah, which is also west of the Baji oil refinery town, 200 km north of Baghdad.

The paramilitary units destroyed the three suicide car bombs with no damages, a provincial security source anonymously told Xinhua.

Fierce clashes ensued on site as IS militants attacked the paramilitary units, however the units remained resilient in the face of the attacks and were supported by army helicopter gunships who repelled the attackers and forced them into the desert area of the province's western part after killing four IS militants and destroying two of their vehicles, said the source.

Salahudin is a predominantly Sunni Arab province and has witnessed a major offensive by Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units, who managed to regain control of the province's key towns from IS militants as they had seized large sections of it in June 2014.

In addition, security forces foiled an IS attack in northern Iraq, as army patrols ambushed five suicide bombers, killing them before they attacked the targeted town of Makhmour, 50 km southeast of the IS-held city of Mosul, the capital of the province of Nineveh, said the Iraqi Defense Ministry in a statement.

The suicide bombers apparently come from the village of Saiyd Sultan close to Makhmour, the statement said without offering further details.

IS militants often attempt to attack Iraqi security forces which Baghdad sends to a military base near Makhmour in order to eradicate Mosul of IS militants in the semi-autonomous northern region of Kurdistan, 400 km north of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials declared that operations to free Mosul and other IS-held parts of the province of Nineveh will be undertaken by Iraq's army, Kurdish security forces known as Peshmerga, and the U.S.-led coalition, along with participation from paramilitary units of local volunteers, including Sunni Arab tribesmen.

Iraqi security forces are currently attempting to recapture the rest of the provinces of Anbar and Salahudin, as they simultaneously prepare a major offensive against the IS-held city of Mosul. Endit