ISIL fighters make gains in Iraq’s Anbar province
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have taken partial control of a water dam and the military barracks guarding it in western Anbar province, security sources and witnesses said. The armed group launched an offensive on the dam late on Friday with explosive-laden vehicles, and engaged in gun battles with […]Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have taken partial control of a water dam and the military barracks guarding it in western Anbar province, security sources and witnesses said. The armed group launched an offensive on the dam late on Friday with explosive-laden vehicles, and engaged in gun battles with Iraqi soldiers that continued through to Saturday.
Dozens of Iraqi troops were killed in the fighting, with poor communications making it difficult to confirm the precise number, Athal al-Fahdawi, an official in Anbar told the Reuters news agency. Army sources said two senior officers were among the dead.
A video posted on YouTube purported to show fighters from the group walking around the dam and the base nearby with no Iraqi soldiers in sight. The bodies of several Iraqi soldiers were seen lying on a road leading to the encampment.
