Official: Iraqi troops, militants clash in west

Mourners and Sunni gunmen chant slogans against Iraq’s Shiite-led government during the funeral of a man killed when clashes erupted between al-Qaida gunmen and Iraqi army soldiers on Friday, his family said, in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq—An official says fierce clashes have erupted between Iraqi special forces and al-Qaeda-linked militants in a village in western Anbar province.

Provincial spokesman Dhari al-Rishawi says Friday’s clashes were taking place in al-Bubali, a village that lies between two main cities in Anbar, Fallujah and Ramadi.

The two cities are under siege by Iraqi security forces and their allies from Sunni tribes who are fighting to recapture Fallujah and Ramadi, which partially came under the control of fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

A police officer says several army vehicles were damaged by roadside bombs planted around the village by the militants. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media.

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