BAGHDAD (AP) – A tribal leader says government forces and allied Sunni tribesmen have repelled an attack by Islamic State militants on a town between two militant-held cities in the western Anbar province.
Sheikh Rafie al-Fahdawi said Tuesday the offensive started shortly before midnight to capture the town of Khaldiya, which is between Fallujah and Ramadi, Anbar’s provincial capital, which the IS group seized over the weekend.
Al-Fahdawi says the militants captured a small village outside Khaldiya. He says no troops or tribal fighters were killed in the clashes.
On Sunday, IS militants captured Ramadi in their most significant advance since a U.S.-led coalition began launching airstrikes against the extremists last summer.