Iraqi forces hold off militants near US base

Baghdad, Feb. 13, (dpa/GNA) - Iraqi government troops fought off a major offensive by Islamic State militants on a western town in the vicinity of the US Ain al-Asad airbase, an Iraqi official said on Friday.

"Security forces and tribal fighters fully control the town of al-Baghdadi after bravely repelling the big attack launched by the terrorist [group] Daesh on Thursday," Fal al-Essawi, a local official in the western province of Anbar, said, using an Arabic acronymn for the extremist militia organization Islamic State.

Al-Baghdadi is part of mostly Sunni Anbar, where Islamic State has a foothold.

The official said that militants were able to seize "small parts" on the outskirts of al-Baghdadi. His claims could not be independently verified.

Al-Essawi called on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the general commander of the army, to arm local tribesmen and send additional military forces to boost the fight against Islamic State.

The Ain al-Asad base, home to US Marines training Iraqi soldiers, is located around five kilometres from al-Baghdadi and came under artillery and rocket fire Friday by Islamic State. The militants damaged some buildings at the base, Iraqi military said.

Iraqi soldiers killed eight would-be suicide bombers who were trying to sneak into the base, Iraqi independent broadcaster al-Sumaria News reported without giving details.

Islamic State - a radical Sunni group - seized large swathes of Anbar last year, exploiting local Sunnis' displeasure with the Shiite-led central government's policies at the time.

Since taking office in September, al-Abadi has sought to drum up the backing of the country's Sunni community in the fight to dislodge the radicals, who also control territory in mostly Sunni northern Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

The United States is leading an allied aerial campaign against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.

GNA