More than a dozen Iraqi soldiers have been killed in an ambush by the Takfiri Daesh militants in the country’s restive western province of Anbar, officials say.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a military official and a police officer said 14 troops lost their lives after numerous roadside bombs targeted an Iraqi military convoy as it was passing a highway outside the Daesh-held city of Ramadi, Anbar’s provincial capital, on Wednesday morning.

The sources added that 10 Iraqi soldiers were also injured in the Daesh attack that took place in the Khabaz area, located some 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Ramadi.

Ramadi fell into the hands of Daesh in May when the Iraqi forces were concentrating on recapturing cities and districts north of the country.

Iraqi government forces, backed by Shia and Sunni fighters, are conducting a massive operation aimed at liberating the troubled Anbar province.

Late last month, Iraqi special forces managed to recapture Anbar University, located 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Ramadi.

Violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since the Daesh launched its deadly terror campaign in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.