Dozens of Iraqi troops killed in Anbar suicide attack

Dozens of Iraqi troops killed in Anbar suicide attack
Security forces were again the target of yet another attack in Iraq, as bombers hit west of Ramadi on Tuesday.
3 min read
01 March, 2016
Hundreds have been killed in numerous attacks in the past few days [Getty]
A suicide attack targeted Iraqi security forces in Iraq's Anbar province on Tuesday, killing dozens of military figures including a deputy commander overseeing the fight against Islamic State militants.

A local source told The New Arab that "two suicide bombers stormed the headquarters of the Operations Command Unit west of Ramadi, and detonated their explosives". A deputy chief of operations, General Ali Noman, and seven other senior soldiers were believed killed in the attack.

A major operation involving military, police, counter-terrorism and Popular Mobilisation forces was launched to "cleanse" the region in response to the bombing on Tuesday morning.

Osama al-Nujaifi, an Iraqi politician, called on residents of Fallujah to unite in the fight to disarm the area. He demanded the government "accelerate its attempt to seize IS-controlled areas".

The bombing follows numerous explosions that have rocked the country over the past few days.

On Monday, a huge car bomb driven by a suicide attacker targeted Iraqi security forces in Baghdad's western suburb of Abu Ghraib, killing at least nine and injuring 22.

A source within the army's Baghdad operations command centre told The New Arab that Monday's car bomb targeted a gathering of Iraqi soldiers and Popular Mobilisation militia members at Abu Ghraib's western entrance.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous for their security, said the bombing coincided with an attack by Islamic State group militants on the neighbouring area of Khan Dari, where heavy clashes ensued between militants and security forces.

In a separate attack on Monday, 27 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber targeted a funeral procession in Diyala province, east of Baghdad.

"Iraqi forces imposed tight security measures and closed off the area in fear of more attacks," a local security source told The New Arab. Dozens of paramilitary fighters subsequently deployed in the area to begin security checks.

IS militants launched an assault which included multiple suicide car-bombings on Abu Ghraib on Sunday morning, which was repelled by Iraqi security forces.

Later on Sunday, IS suicide bombers targeted a popular market in the Shia neighbourhood of Sadr city in Baghdad, killing and injuring some 160 people.

"The final death toll stood at 62 killed and 98 wounded," Colonel Hussein al-Darraji in Sadr city told The New Arab.

Several of the critically injured died overnight, while 98 wounded remain in hospitals.

"The injured were split across three hospitals - al-Kindi hospital, al-Hussein hospital and Ibn-Sina hospital," Darraji told The New Arab.

"Among the victims were children, women and elderly who were at the market, which is known for selling cheap goods," Darraji added. "They were ordinary Iraqis going about their daily lives."

A spokesman for the joint military operations centre, Yahya Rasool, said the IS group was attempting to win a media war through such spectacular actions. Rasool suggested the attacks were meant to boost the morale of IS militants after recent losses in the country.