Iraqi Forces Repel ISIL Attacks in Western Iraq
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iraqi security forces and allied tribesmen on Saturday repelled attacks by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group in a military airbase housing US advisers, in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.
Security forces backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft repelled an attack by the ISIL militants on a major military airbase housing US military advisers, near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 200 km northwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The fierce battles which broke out in the early hours of the day resulted in the killing of numerous ISIL militants and destroying of their vehicles, the source said.
The ISIL militants also attacked the town of al-Baghdadi and after hours of clashes, they were forced to retreat, the source added.
The battles resulted in the killing an undetermined number of ISIL militants and Iraqi soldiers, including a commando officer, he said.
Al-Baghdadi town, which is the house of the government-backed Albu Nimer Sunni tribe, has been under the siege of the militants for months, Xinhua reported.
For months, Ramadi has been the scene of fierce clashes between the ISIL militants and the security forces, which has gained support from some of the local Sunni tribes who rejected the presence of the extremist ISIL group.
