Iraqi security forces, backed by local tribesmen, fought on Friday to retake control of two cities from al Qaeda-linked fighters in the restive western province of Anbar, leaving scores of people dead. Police and military clashed with militants armed with machine guns and wearing black balaclavas on the outskirts of Fallujah throughout the afternoon, according to a local security official in Anbar province who declined to be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak to the media. The battle left 21 people dead, including at least a few women and children, as Iraqi forces employed helicopters, tanks and mortars to lay siege to the city. The latest assault on Fallujah marks the fourth government attempt to retake the city since Thursday evening, when Islamist fighters loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Shams, or ISIS, seized the vast majority of the city from the government, according to the […]