Iraqi forces repel IS attacks in Anbar province as Iran backs Baghdad anti-terror efforts

Iraqi security forces and allied tribal fighters rebuffed an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in a town near the Iraqi capital Baghdad, but were forced to withdraw from another embattled town after two days of fierce clashes in the country's western province of Anbar, security sources said on Thursday.

In the early hours of the day, IS militants carried out their third attack within the past 48 hours on the besieged town of Ameriyat al-Fallujah, some 40 km west of Baghdad, but security forces and allied local Sunni tribesmen repelled them, a source from Anbar provincial operations command, told Xinhua on the condition of anonymity.

IS militants tried to enter the town from three directions using car bombs and armored vehicles and managed to seize the northern suburb of the town but failed to go further, facing strong resistance from the troops and tribal fighters who were backed by Iraqi government aircraft, the source said.

Thursday's attack followed two failed attempts to seize the town on Wednesday, which left at least 32 militants dead, the source said.

Meanwhile, warplanes belonging to the U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft pounded IS militants around Ameriyat al-Fallujah, killing at least 23 militants and destroying seven of their vehicles, the source added.

The strategic town of Ameriyat al-Fallujah is the last major town under government control that is next to Baghdad and also located some 60 km north of the Shiite holy city of Karbala. If the militants seize the town they will be closer to the Iraqi capital and will also be able to move closer to Karbala, which they could target with artillery and mortars.

Also in the province, security forces and allied fighters from the Sunni tribe of Albu Nimer withdrew in the morning from their last positions in the town of Heet, some 160 km west of the Baghdad, because they lacked reinforcement troops and were facing an ammunition shortage, a provincial security source anonymously told Xinhua.

Previously on Wednesday, the troops and the allied tribesmen repelled a major attack by the IS militants in the partially seized town of Heet.

Most of Heet has been under the control of IS militants since Oct. 13 except for its al-Furat suburb on the eastern side of Euphrates River and the nearby al-Zuwiyah village, which were under control of Albu-Nimer tribe and some security forces.

More than 1,000 heavily-armed tribesmen and some troops left the town in around 500 vehicles, arriving at the town of Barwana, some 90 km northwest of Heet, after they left their positions, Abdul Hakim al-Jughaifi, the mayor of Barwana told reporters.

The IS group has seized around 80 percent of Iraq's largest province of Anbar and is now attempting to surround Baghdad from its outer belt, but observers see that it is not possible for the extremist Sunni group to enter the capital, which contains a large Shiite population and is heavily fortified with security forces and Shiite militias.

Since December last year, insurgent attacks continue in the Sunni Arab heartland in west of Baghdad that stretches through Anbar province, which has been the scene of fierce clashes that flared up after Iraqi police dismantled an anti-government protest site outside the city of Ramadi.

IRAN BACKS IRAQ'S ANTI-TERROR EFFORTS

Also on Thursday, Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said his country will support the Iraqi government and nation in the face of threats posed by terrorist groups.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran once again insists on its full support for Iraq's government and nation in the fight against terrorist groups," Jahangiri was quoted as saying by Press TV.

According to a joint press statement released by Jahangiri and the visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, "the two sides insisted on the strategic aspects of bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries ... and an inclination to increase these relations at all levels, namely political, economic, security, and business relations."

The two sides laid emphasis on the importance of stability in the Middle East and considered the threat of terrorism a menace to international security. They stressed that the international political efforts toward confronting this growing threat should be concerted, according to the statement.

During Abadi's Iran three-day visit, he met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials.