Iraq: 40 troops, 10 Daesh militants killed in Anbar

ANBAR, Iraq 

At least 40 Iraqi troops and 10 Daesh militants were killed in two separate attacks in western Anbar province Thursday, officials said.

Daesh militants killed at least 40 Iraqi troops in an attack on an Iraqi military headquarters in western Anbar province Thursday, an official said.

"The militants dug a 1,500-meter long tunnel under the headquarters located in Ramadi city and planted explosives," Sabah Kerhut, president of Anbar’s provincial council, told The Anadolu Agency.  

The militants dug the tunnel for nearly a month and planted around 300 explosives under the headquarters, Kerhut said.

He did not specify the total number of soldiers at the headquarters at the time of attack, but said it was "severely damaged."

In addition, Iraqi military sources said that Daesh attempted to destroy a bridge located in Saglavia town in Anbar with four explosive-laden vehicles. However, the security forces discovered the vehicles and neutralized them, killing 10 militants.

Clashes between Iraqi forces and Daesh have been ongoing since June 2014 when the armed group seized Mosul and much of northern and western Iraq.