A
new wave of ISIL suicide attacks, sniper fire, and roadside bombs
targeting Iraq forces and their militia allies killed more than 30
fighters on Thursday in and around the city of Ramadi, a military source
told Al Jazeera.
The heavy fighting comes after more than 50
Iraqi soldiers and
pro-government tribal fighters were killed earlier in the week during
attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group near the city,
which lies just 100km west of Baghdad.
|
ISIL counter-attacks kill Iraqi soldiers |
Earlier in January, the Iraqi army declared Ramadi liberated
after a major offensive reclaimed government offices in the city centre.
But, since then, Iraqi forces have faced continued onslaughts from
ISIL and fierce resistance in areas it holds in Ramadi's suburbs.
During Thursday's fighting, four suicide car bombers were killed by
US-led coalition air strikes, but two others were able to plough into
the main gates of an army division headquarters in Ramadi's al-Thirthar
area, inflicting significant damage.
At least 17 Iraqi soldiers were killed and 46 wounded, including
seven officers, the military source said on condition of anonymity,
citing security reasons.
Another 15 Iraqi forces were killed and 20 wounded elsewhere in the city.
Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, fell to ISIL in May 2015 in an embarrassing setback for Iraqi forces.
Al Jazeera's Imran Khan and Osama Mohammed contributed to this report from Baghdad
|
Pockets of ISIL remaining in Ramadi |
Source: Al Jazeera
COPY http://www.aljazeera.com/news/
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário