ISIL fighters kill Iraqi forces in Anbar ambush

At least 33 soldiers and allied fighters killed in central town of Seddiqiya, military sources tell Al Jazeera.

ISIL flag
The Iraqi government last month announced the start of a wide-scale operation to recapture areas under control of ISIL [AP]

At least 33 Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters have been killed in an ambush by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in a town in the flashpoint western Anbar province.

More than 40 others soldiers were injured in Monday’s attack in al-Seddiqiya, located east of the provincial capital Ramadi, military sources told Al Jazeera.

In a separate incident, at least 12 civilians were killed and another 18 injured by Iraqi army shelling of a mosque and a popular market in Fallujah, 50km east of Ramadi, local sources told Al Jazeera.

For its part, the Iraqi defence ministry said fighter jets had carried out fresh air strikes on ISIL targets in Anbar and Salahuddin provinces.

The ministry released a video of the raids and said in a statement that many ISIL fighters were killed while equipment and buildings used as headquarters were destroyed.

The footage, released late on Sunday, is said to be filmed from an aircraft over Anbar, where the Iraqi air force is supporting the ground offensive against ISIL.

Last month, the Iraqi government announced the start of a major offensive to recapture areas under the control of ISIL group in Anbar.

The announcement came after the government suffered a humiliating defeat in Ramadi.

 
 
Source: Al Jazeera