Security kill 30 Islamic State militants in Anbar, Salahuddin

Anbar/ Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi security forces killed 30 Islamic State militants in Salahuddin and Anbar

A statement by the Ministry of Defense said troops in Baiji, Salahuddin, foiled two attacks by IS extremists at Sheikh Ali village and Harariyat neighborhood, killing 18 attackers and seizing two vehicles.

Meanwhile, 12 Islamic State militants were killed in a security operation west of Ramadi.

Malallah al-Obeidi, head of al-Baghdadi municipality, told al-Journal news website that security forces, backed by al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popula Mobilization Units), invaded IS defenses in al-Madham, a region at the desert area of al-Baghdadi, killing 12 militants and seizing ammunitions belonging to the group.

Obeidi said Madham is one of the vastest regions in western Anbar’s desert that link IS strongholds in Rawa and Annah, and has been used by IS for commuting between those regions and for staging offensives.

Iraqi security forces and allied militias are actively fighting IS militants who took over several Iraqi cities in 2014 to proclaim a self-styled “Islamic State”. The greatest security effort is now made in Mosul, where the group has lost a half of its strongholds in the city since mid October.

IS still maintains smaller bastions in Anbar and Kirkuk, and has stepped up attacks across the country to make up for its losses in Mosul, its biggest base in Iraq, which made observers believe it will still cause a security threat after the recapture of that city.