Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BAGHDAD (AP) — There's word that Islamic State fighters have seized another part of the Iraqi city of Ramadi following a series of deadly suicide car bombings aimed at Iraqi security forces.
A police officer says the militants took over a southern district of the city today after launching suicide car bomb attacks on its defenders, killing 10 people including a local police chief.
The officer says retreating government forces left behind about 30 army vehicles and weapons including artillery and assault rifles. And he says some two dozen policemen are missing after fierce clashes with the militants.
Elsewhere in Ramadi, police say three suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives into the gate of the Anbar Operation Command, the military headquarters for the province, killing five soldiers.
Ramadi is the capital of Anbar province. Islamic State militants swept through the city last week, seizing the main government headquarters and other key parts of the city. It marked a major setback for the Iraqi government's efforts to drive the militants out of areas they seized last year.
%@AP Links
APPHOTO BAG102: Iraq security forces withdraw from Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, Sunday, May 17, 2015. Suicide car bomb attacks killed over 10 members of Iraqi security forces Sunday in Ramadi, which now is largely held by the Islamic State group, authorities said. Last week, the militants swept through Ramadi, seizing the main government headquarters and other key parts of the city. It marked a major setback for the Iraqi government's efforts to drive the militants out of areas they seized last year. (AP Photo) (17 May 2015)
<<APPHOTO BAG102 (05/17/15)££
APPHOTO ZHM110: Displaced Iraqis from Ramadi cross the Bzebiz bridge after spending the night walking towards Baghdad, as they flee their hometown, 65 km west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, May 16, 2015. Islamic State militants seized the center of Ramadi in western Iraq and raised their black flag over the government compound, local officials said. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban) (16 May 2015)
<<APPHOTO ZHM110 (05/16/15)££
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
