IS suicide attack on Ramadi army base kills five

Islamic State group militants launch suicide attack on an army base in Iraq's liberated Ramadi, killing five soldiers and wounding 11 others, sources said on Monday.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

13 June, 2016

IS targeted an army base in Ramadi with several explosives-laden vehicles [Getty]

A suicide attack carried out by Islamic State group militants killed at least five members of the Iraqi security forces on Monday in the city of Ramadi, army officers have said.

The attack targeted an army base in Ramadi with several vehicles driven by suicide bombers.

"IS militants attacked the army base in Jereche with explosive-laden cars and gunmen who fired at soldiers," a local source told The New Arab.

The attack killed five soldiers and wounded 11 others, two senior Iraqi army officers confirmed.

Reinforcements were immediately deployed to the scene.

"Our forces killed all the attackers and destroyed all the car bombs but there were a number of killed and wounded among army ranks," said Major General Ismail al-Mahalawi, who heads the operations command for Anbar province.

Earlier this year, the Iraqi army regained control of Ramadi, the capital of the country's vast Anbar province, and in recent weeks has been battling to retake Fallujah, another city in the province, from IS militants.

But Monday's attack highlights the militant group's continued ability to stage deadly operations in areas where it has lost control of territory, as the government seeks to bring local populations back and start rebuilding.