An Islamic State suicide bomber killed two Iraqi Army generals on Thursday as they led forces against IS group positions in the turbulent Anbar Province west of Baghdad, military officials said.
They said the bomber drove his explosives-laden vehicle into the advancing troops north of Anbar’s provincial capital, Ramadi, killing the two generals and three soldiers, AP reported.
A military statement read on Iraqi state television identified the two generals as Maj. Gen. Abdul-Rahman Abu-Regheef, deputy chief of operations in Anbar, and Brig. Gen. Sefeen Abdul-Maguid, commander of the 10th Army Division. Ten other soldiers were reportedly wounded.
In Syria, IS militants seized five villages from rebel groups in the north as part of an advance toward the strategic town of Marea near the Turkish border. IS holds about a third of Iraq and Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other activist groups said IS militants carried out a suicide bombing on the outskirts of Marea amid fierce fighting in the area.
The Turkish Dogan news agency also reported renewed fighting between IS and rebels across the border from Kilis and said the US-led coalition bombed IS targets in the region.
