Islamic State fighters killed 16 Iraqi soldiers in an attack on a western border crossing with Syria yesterday, the head of the local provincial council Faleh al-Issawi said.

He said four other Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the attack on the al-Waleed crossing and were taken across the border for treatment in Syria.

Fighters seized guns and vehicles

A tribal leader in the Islamic State-controlled town of Rutba, 130 kilometres southeast of al-Waleed, said the fighters seized guns and vehicles and brought them back to Rutba, firing guns in celebration as they arrived.

The border crossing and the town of Rutba are both in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, a Sunni Muslim region where Islamic State had a strong presence even before it swept through Mosul and much of northern Iraq towards Baghdad in June.

While they have lost some ground in other parts of the country, Islamic State fighters have sought to maintain momentum in Anbar, attacking the centre of the provincial capital Ramadi last week.

A month ago they killed hundreds of members of the Albu Nimr tribe, which had opposed them in the province.