2014-06-05 19:22:00
Iraqi troops 'repel militant attack on Samarra'
Al-Huriya News Agency - Iraqi security forces have repelled a large-scale attack by militants on the central city of Samarra, officials say. Gunmen travelling in dozens of vehicles attacked checkpoints on the east and west on Thursday morning before taking control of several areas.
The army responded with helicopter strikes in which officials said about 80 insurgents died. A curfew has been imposed on the city and reinforcements sent from the capital Baghdad.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni militants and tribesmen allied to the jihadist Islamist State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) have seized parts of the city of Ramadi and most of Falluja.
