BAGHDAD, May 6 (KUNA) -- Iraqi Minister of Defense Saadoun Al-Dulaimi met Representative of UN Secretary General for Iraq Nickolay Mladebnov on Tuesday to discuss the insurgency in the western governorate of Al-Anbar and other parts of Iraq.
The meeting focused on the terrorist threats posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the other terrorist groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda organization, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Mladebnov appreciated the Iraqi security services for their efforts to maintain the country's unity and safety, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the command of Al-Anbar operations vowed to eradicate the ISIL in the western parts of Iraq and bring the situation in the governorate back to normal within the coming days. Local tribal headmen back the joint military-police operation against the terrorist groups in the governorate and the operation will bear fruit in the coming few days, the command said in a statement.
The semi-official Iraqia TV channel aired patriotic songs while security sources reported that the 8th division of the Iraqi army repelled a three-pronged attack by ISIL fighters from the Al-Ameriya district, to the south of Fallujah city.
The regular troops killed 27 attackers including two leading members of the group, and arrested three other, while three policemen were injured.
Ayad Marzouq Al-Isawi, an ISIL militant leader, and 35 militants were killed in another botched attack to the west of Fallujah, the statement added.
Two civilians were killed and six others injured in the ISIL mortar attack on the city while a car bombing wounded six soldiers at a security checkpoint in Al-Mohammadi district in Hith town, Al-Anbar governorate.
Another suicide bombing killed a soldier and wounded eight others seriously in Al-Ramadi city in the same governorate. (end) mhg.gb