28 killed in bomb attacks, clashes in Iraq

At least 28 people were killed, including three suicide bombers, and over 28 others wounded in bomb attacks and clashes with the Islamic State (IS) militants across Iraq on Sunday, security sources said.

In Iraq's western province of Anbar, heavy clashes erupted between the Iraqi security forces and allied militias, known as Hashd Shaabi, or popular mobilisation, and the IS militants in south of the IS-held city of Fallujah, some 50 km from Baghdad, Xinhua reported citing a security source.

During the battle, three suicide bombers blew up their explosive-laden vehicles near the troops, leaving at least 10 security members and militiamen killed and eight others wounded, the source said.

US-led coalition warplanes provided air support to the troops at the battlefield near Fallujah, killing at least seven IS militants and wounding 11 others.

Also in the province, the security forces and allied tribal fighters fought the IS militants in Albu Farraj area, leaving at least three IS militants killed.

Albu Farraj area is located on the northern side of Euphrates river, separating it from the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad.

In Salahudin province, Iraqi security forces and allied militias cleared two villages from IS militants on the western bank of Tigris river in north of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, killing at least three militants and destroying two of their vehicles, a source said.

The operation in north of Tikrit is part of the troops advance toward the battleground town of Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, as the IS militants gained ground in the nearby huge oil refinery where some of the security forces have been besieged by the IS militants for days.

On Tuesday, Iraq dispatched reinforcement troops, backed by tanks and armoured vehicles, to an airbase just north of Tikrit in an offensive aimed at retaking full control of the oil refinery after the IS militants captured large areas of the vast oil refinery.

Near Baghdad, a car bomb went off in Tarmiyah area leaving a civilian killed and five others wounded, while another car bomb ripped through Taji area, some 20 km north of Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding four others, an interior ministry source said.

The security situation in Iraq has drastically deteriorated since June, 2014 when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and IS militants.