Iraqi soldiers and Sunni militias are trying to retake a section of the city of Ramadi, seized by the Islamic State on Friday.

Ramadi is the capital of Iraq’s largest province, Anbar, which covers most of the west of the country.

Fighting is heaviest in the Sijariya neighborhood in eastern Ramadi, taken by the jihadists yesterday, with both sides firing mortars.

Al Jazeera claimed from sources that dozens of Iraqi soldiers were abducted near the city while at least 20 Iraqi troops and eight Islamic State fighters were killed.

An Iraqi security official said mortar attacks had targets provincial council buildings and a police post.

A provincial official claimed that the Islamic State carried out several executions, targeting men from the al-Bu Fahd tribe, after moving into Sijariya.

The Islamic State and allied Sunni tribes have held part of Ramadi since January, when they also captured the city of Fallujah and others areas of Anbar Province.