Iraqi forces on Monday (April 9th) intercepted four "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) militants who were planning to carry out attacks in the city of Haditha in Anbar province.

At 3 a.m. local time, the militants managed "under the cover of darkness to sneak into the al-Malaab neighbourhood in the city centre, and tried to blow themselves up near security targets", said Haditha local council head Khalid Salman.

"Security and tribal forces quickly detected the attackers and clashed with them for more than two hours, killing three of them," he told Diyaruna.

The fourth ISIS element, who was hiding in a nearby house, blew himself up when security and tribal forces approached the site, killing two members of the emergency police and wounding six others.

The security forces' interception of the ISIS elements "is a clear indication of the troops' vigilance and readiness to thwart any desperate attempt by terrorists to threaten Haditha's security", Salman said.

Haditha stood steadfast for three years in the face of repeated attempts by ISIS to invade it, as the group did with other cities in Anbar, he said, stressing that the city "will remain impenetrable to terrorists".

Iraqi army and police forces, with support from the local tribes, are deployed throughout Haditha and carrying out pre-emptive operations to purge desert areas of ISIS remnants, he said.

Local residents also are contributing to security efforts through fully co-operating with security forces and providing them with immediate reports of any ISIS activity, he added.