DHAKA: Armed Islamic State (IS) of Iraq and Syria members have killed up to 50 soldiers and allied Shia fighters in two separate ambushes in Iraq’s Anbar province.

A top provincial official said.

Sabah Al-Karhout, president of the Anbar Provincial Council, told the media that the ambushes took place on Friday to the west of the provincial capital, Ramadi, but said he had no more details, Al Jazeera publishes this report on Saturday.

There was no immediate word from federal authorities or IS, the report said.

IS controls much of Anbar province, including Ramadi and the city of Fallujah.

Government forces and Shia fighters have been trying to dislodge the group from the province but they have been making slow progress.

On Saturday, Khalid al-Obeidi, the Iraqi defence minister, toured the military’s northern command in Anbar, according to a statement issued by his office.

During a meeting he told troops that forces there must use ‘caution and precision’ when advancing to avoid ‘unjustified losses’.

BDST: 1612 HRS, AUG 23, 2015
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