Iraqi forces attacked militant groups in Iraq's Anbar province and killed 57 members, the defence ministry said Monday.
Two heavy machine guns fixed on two vehicles were also destroyed in the attack, Xinhua cited the ministry as saying.
A provincial police source said the government troops intensified shelling on Ramadi and Fallujah cities Monday morning.
Anbar province has been witnessing clashes that flared up after Iraqi police dismantled an anti-government protest site outside Ramadi last December.