Fighting rages in Iraq’s Anbar; 23 killed in clashes, attacks

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Fighting between the Islamic State (ISIS) and a joint force of the Iraqi army and tribal fighters continued Tuesday in Ramadi in Anbar province, with sources saying the jihadis were closing in on an air base where US troops are stationed.

A source inside Ramadi said that fighting raged street-to-street and alley-to-alley in the capital of Iraq’s largest province.

“Military forces, in coordination with tribal fighters in Ramadi, launched an assault on ISIS in the areas of Andalus, Mostaudah and Hoz in the city’s downtown, where the clashes continue,” said a tribal chief in Anbar.

“To control the city ISIS militants have targeted a military base in Ramadi with mortars,” he added. “At the same time, the military base of Ainoun Al-Assad has been besieged by ISIS fighters.”

That is where American military personnel, who Washington says are in Iraq on non-combat missions, are stationed.

Meanwhile, the clashes and two suicide bombings Tuesday left 23 people dead and 21 wounded in Anbar, the AFP news agency reported.

The tribal chief said that fighting also raged in Fallujah, the other major city in Anbar.

“Some areas inside Fallujah have been shelled with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar by the Iraqi army to target ISIS bases in the city,” he said. “Some civilian areas have also mistakenly been shelled by Iraqi warplanes,” he added.

“ISIS continues to advance in some areas of Fallujah such as the cement factory area and some other alleys in the city’s southern part,” the chief reported.