Members of the Islamic State group killed at least 50 Iraqi soldiers. The majority of them were ambushed in the Anbar province in two separate attacks. The deaths were confirmed by a top official minutes ago.
Sabah al-Karhout, a top official in the province, told the Associated Press the ambushes happened late yesterday near Ramadi. He did not give out any more details on the attack. The group has not claimed responsibility and authorities have not spoken about it.
The group controls most of the area, including the provincial capital, Ramadi, and Fallujah. The area has seen a number of clashes between the group and government forces joined by Shiite militiamen, who are trying to take back the cities and towns. Government forces and Shiite have not had the same success as in other areas and have been making slow progress. The two have been facing pressure from the group in the oil refinery town of Beiji, which was taken back from the group last year.
al-Karhout added that operations in the province are going well but that progress is slow and advances are slowed down by surprise attacks from the group, which is rapidly spreading to other areas. Earlier today, Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi visited the military’s command in the province. During a meeting with the soldiers there, he told them to use caution and precision when trying to take back areas so they don’t suffer big losses.
Defense Minister Fires Commander
Later today, it was confirmed that al-Obeidi fired the commander in charge of a brigade. His name was not revealed but he was let go because he failed to carry out his duties. The minister said there is no place for those who don’t carry out their missions and commands.
No one knows if the minister’s visit and the firing of the commander were linked to the ambush that left at least 50 soldiers dead. The Islamic State group is currently in control of many areas around Iraq and Syria, where they operate and recruit members.
In Baghdad today, bombings left at least eight people dead and over 20 injured. The group recently carried out a suicide attack in a busy market north of Baghdad, where 90 people lost their lives and hundreds more were injured. The attack last month came during the last day of Ramadan and IS said it was meant for Shiite militia but most victims were civilians shopping for food and clothes.
