RAMADI, Iraq, Feb. 22 -- Security forces on Monday repelled an attack by the Islamic State (IS) in the Iraqi province of Anbar, killing at least 40 IS militants, a security source said.

In the early morning hours, dozens of IS militants attacked a military base in Hamdhiyah area, just east of the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, but were repelled by the troops and air strikes of U.S.-led coalition aircraft, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

As the troops pushed back the attackers, an IS suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden truck, killing six soldiers and wounding 10 others, the source said.

On Feb. 9, the Iraqi military announced the liberation of the areas in eastern Ramadi.

Government troops and allied militias have been fighting for months to retake control of key cities and towns in Anbar, Iraq's largest province, from IS militants, who previously seized most of Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad.