Nomads from Abu Assaf and al-Bu Ali tribes have taken their weapons to stand against militants and try to push them out of al-Ramadi city, the capital city of al-Anbar province, al-Alam reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the nomads and Iraqi security forces succeeded in surrounding the terrorists in different areas to avoid their escape to the desert.

The development follows several days of violence prompted by a raid on the home of Ahmed al-Alwani, a Sunni legislator, and the dismantling of a protest camp in al-Anbar.

The forced closure of the site led to clashes on Tuesday between Iraq's security forces and armed men in Ramadi, the provincial capital, with four people dying.

A police source said that the Anbar nomads could push back armed elements of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), after the terrorists tried to seize a police headquarter in northeast of al-Ramadi.

The source, who wanted not to be named due to security issues, said that some armed men have been injured and forced to flee from the city.

While the Iraqi government has made some concessions aimed at pacifying Sunnis, including freeing prisoners and raising the salaries of anti-Qaeda militiamen, underlying issues remain unaddressed.

NTJ/NJF