Iraqi forces push Islamic State out of al-Baghdadi

Iraqi soldiers stand on a damaged tank during fighting against Islamic State militants near Tikrit, northern Iraq, Feb. 24, 2015. Iraqi troops broke a siege by the militants on a residential compound in western Iraq that had denied hundreds of families access to food and medical supplies, officials said.(Photo: Ali Mohammed, EPA)Iraqi security forces backed by coalition airstrikes have pushed the Islamic State out of a town near a large base where U.S. military advisers are located, officials announced Friday.A combination of Iraqi armed forces and tribes retook a police station and three bridges over the Euphrates River in the town of al-Baghdadi, according to a statement from U.S.-led coalition headquarters. The bridges have been held by militants since last September. The militants had gained control of the town at one point in the past few months.The statement said Iraqi security forces also pushed militants from seven villages northwest of al-Baghdadi in the largely Sunni Anbar province.The coalition has launched 26 airstrikes since Feb. 22 to support the offensive against the militants in the area. It also provided surveillance and intelligence support.The town is several miles from al-Asad, a sprawling military compound where militants last month launched a failed effort to breach the U.S. base.The base in the Euphrates River Valley west of Baghdad is a major training facility where teams of Americans are training about 800 Iraqi soldiers.See, hear chaos surrounding Harrison Ford plane crashMar 06, 2015