BAGHDAD – Iraqi soldiers backed by Sunni fighters launched a major operation on Saturday to retake a section of the city of Ramadi seized by militants linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, an official and residents said. The fighting focused on Ramadi’s eastern Sijariya neighborhood, which the extremist group said it captured the area Friday. An official with the Anbar provincial council described intense fighting there Saturday morning that included both sides firing mortars.



Eyewitnesses there, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, corroborated his account. IS has been trying to seize Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, for months now. The Anbar official also said militants lined up and shot several men Friday from the Al-Bu Fahd tribe, which is taking part in the fight against the militant group. Militants have killed more than 200 men, women and children from Anbar’s Sunni Al Bu Nimr tribe in recent weeks, apparently in revenge for the tribe’s siding with Iraqi security forces and, in the past, with US forces. – AP