Iraqi army closes in on Islamic State militants holed up west of Falluja

A member of Iraqi counterterrorism forces drives in a military vehicle in Falluja. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's army sought on Monday to eliminate Islamic State fighters holed up in farmland west of Falluja to keep them from launching a counterattack on the city, a day after the government declared victory over the militants there.

Backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi artillery bombarded targets as its troops closed in on up to 150 insurgents in areas along the southern bank of the Euphrates River, an army officer participating in the operation said.