Air Strikes Kill 24 IS Militants In Iraq's Anbar

A total of 24 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Saturday in air strikes by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces in western Iraq, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

Iraqi warplanes bombarded an IS vehicle convoy in Albu Eitha area, north of Anbar province's capital Ramadi, some 110 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Some 15 militants aboard were killed, the source said citing intelligence reports.

Meanwhile, international aircraft and Iraqi army artillery pounded IS positions in Juwaiba area east of Ramadi, destroying two positions and leaving at least nine militants killed and 12 others injured, the source added.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, recaptured several areas on the edges of Ramadi as part of their offensive to surround the city and clear it later from IS militants.

The troops have been fighting for months to retake control of key cities and towns in Iraq's largest province from the extremist IS militants, who seized most of Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad. (Cihan/Xinhua)