Iraqi army clashes with militants near Fallujah


January 7, 2014 at 2:54p.m.

Iraqi army clashes with militants near Fallujah

BAGHDAD (AP) — Fierce clashes erupted today between Iraqi special forces and al-Qaida-linked militants outside the city of Fallujah, a flare-up in a days-long standoff in the Sunni-dominated western province of Anbar, Iraqi officials said. The fighting broke out about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Fallujah, following the capture of an army officer and four soldiers in the area a day earlier, Anbar provincial spokesman Dhari al-Rishawi told The Associated Press.