Seven IS members killed as military foil attempt to approach defense line, western Anbar
Islamic State fighters on pickup trucks in Anbar, west of Iraq.
“Military troops from the 28th brigade, backed by al-Hashdal-Ashaeri [tribal mobilization forces] thwarted an attempt by IS to approach the troops defense line, which is 12 KM away from Annah,” the source from the army’s seventh division in Anbar told AlSumaria News.
“Clashes occurred between the troops and the militants, leaving seven terrorists killed, while the others were able to escape to inside the town,” the source, who preferred anonymity, added.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Joint Operations command said 20 IS members, including the masterminds behind recent deadly bombings in Baghdad and Basra which took place on Friday, were killed in an airstrike by Iraqi forces in the city of Qaim, western Anbar.
Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate.
Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition have also regularly pounded IS locations in the province. The Iraqi government is expected to aim at those strongholds once the Mosul battle is concluded.