Those who were killed belonged to the albu-Obeid Sunni tribe including policemen and members of the government-backed Sahwa paramilitary group.

Sources said the town was located near the major air base of Ain al-Asad that houses over 300 US Marines. The battles in and near al-Baghdadi continued since Thursday when IS militants attacked the town and the Ain al-Asad airbase which was used by Iraqi military forces.

Earlier on Saturday, IS militants had executed 33 people, including local policemen and Sahwa members, in the town.

According to reports, the IS group seized around 80 percent of Iraq’s largest province of Anbar and is now trying to advance towards Baghdad. Since December last year, there have been a series of insurgent attacks in the west of Baghdad which stretches through the Anbar province.