Iraqi Army Kills 50 Militants in Fallujah Artillery, Air Strikes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iraqi government forces have killed 50 militants in artillery and airstrikes as they continue their preparations to storm the anti-government insurgents’ stronghold in the Anbar province city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
The Iraqi defense ministry has announced that 50 members of the Al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) were killed in Saturday’s and Sunday’s aerial bombardment and artillery assaults as government forces and local militias targeted ISIS fighters in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.
The ministry also claimed that it has neutralized 135 explosive devices and destroyed 7 vehicles. Large amounts of weaponry were also seized.
Soldiers and police battled alongside tribesmen in southern Ramadi, AFP reported but were making slow progress. Defense Minister Saadun al Dulaimi visited the troops to oversee the assault.
The Iraqi government warned on Saturday that it was preparing a full scale assault on the city, but to date has mostly resorted to heavy bombardment. The army units deployed around the city stayed out of Fallujah to avoid being dragged into a protracted gunfight.
Meanwhile on Sunday, multiple deadly attacks in Baghdad and cities in its vicinity killed 21 people, security and medical officials said.
At least eight were killed in an attack on Sahwa fighters and anti-Al-Qaeda militiamen in the town of Baiji. What started off as a gun battle on their base was followed by a suicide car bomb. At least 17 people were injured. Another 13 people have been killed in attacks in Baghdad, Balad, Taji, Mosul and Kirkuk.
