Anbar

Official: Islamic State ambushes, kills up to 50 Iraq troops

Sabah Al-Karhout, president of the Anbar Provincial Council, told The Associated Press the ambushes took place Friday west of the provincial capital, Ramadi, but said he had no more details. There was no immediate word from federal authorities or the Islamic State group.

The Islamic State group controls much of the vast Anbar province, including Ramadi and the city of Fallujah.

Iraq ambush kills 14 soldiers in restive Anbar province

The officials, a military officer and a police officer, say numerous roadside bombs targeted a military convoy Wednesday morning as it was traveling on a highway outside the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi. They say that the attack in Khabaz area, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Ramadi, also wounded 10 soldiers.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

Airstrikes on IS-held town in northern Syria kill 20

The airstrikes that targeted the town of Manbej in Aleppo province were most likely carried out by Syrian army warplanes, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It said the death toll was likely to rise because many of the wounded suffered critical injuries.

Twitter and Facebook accounts affiliated with the Islamic State group said 26 people were killed and around 100 others wounded in the attacks.

Iraq begins operation to oust Islamic State group from Anbar

The spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said in a televised statement that the operation started at dawn and that government forces were being backed by Shiite and Sunni pro-government fighters.

Rasool did not say whether the U.S.-led international coalition was taking part.