'We have given 25 martyrs in 72 hours,' says a tribal commander.
'We have given 25 martyrs in 72 hours,' says a tribal commander.
Baghdad
: At least 25 Iraqi fighters have been killed repelling a major three-day offensive by the Islamic State group in the region of Haditha in Anbar province, security sources said on Tuesday.
-"We have given 25 martyrs in 72 hours,-" a tribal commander, Sheikh Abdallah Atallah, said by phone from Haditha, an area that includes a key dam and has held off IS since 2014.
-"It was one of the biggest offensives we have seen. It came from three directions,-" he said, adding that dozens were also wounded.
The mayor of Haditha, located about 200 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, confirmed the casualty toll. -"We have more than 20 martyrs and more than 50 wounded They are from the army, CTS (the counter-terrorism service), the police and the tribal fighters,-" Mabrouk Hamid said.
