BAGHDAD, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units on Monday repelled an attack of Islamic States (IS) militants on military posts and killed 10 of the extremist militants in the desert area near the Syrian border in northwestern Iraq, the units said in a statement.
Dozens of IS militants attacked a base of Hashd Shaabi units in the border village of al-Hamdaniyah, but the troops, covered by the army's helicopter gunships, repelled the attackers and forced them to withdraw from the scene, the statement said.
The clashes resulted in the killing of at least 10 IS militants and the destruction of six vehicles, the source added.
In an earlier statement, the Hashd Shaabi reportedly said that its units, backed by helicopter gunships, repelled another attack by IS militants in the desert area near the border with Syria in western Iraq, killing at least 20 militants and destroying eight IS vehicles.
The paramilitary units are deployed in the desert near the Syrian border to prevent the cross-border IS movement between Iraq and Syria.
On May 29, the units made their first arrival at the border after they freed the town of al-Qahtaniyah, some 18 km east of the Syrian border.
On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared Mosul's liberation from IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.
Two days ago, Abadi declared a new plan to be implemented soon to liberate the IS-held town of Tal Afar from the extremist militants, which will include the participation of the predominantly Shiite paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units and Sunni tribal fighters.
The Iraqi forces still have to wage more offensives to drive out IS militants from their redoubts in Hawijah in southwestern Kirkuk, the adjacent sprawling rugged areas in eastern Salahudin province, in addition to the remaining IS strongholds in the border towns with Syria, including Aana, Rawa, and al-Qaim.
