Baghdad: Iraqi security forces on Friday continued their battles for the fourth consecutive day against the Islamic State (IS) militants and moved closer to the central part of Anbar's provincial capital city of Ramadi.

Iraqi army police and anti-terrorism troops, backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, engaged in heavy clashes with IS militants in Houz district which is adjacent to the government compound in central Ramadi, some 110 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Xinhua reported.