by Our Foreign Desk

TWO IRAQI generals were killed yesterday by an Islamic State (Isis) suicide bomber as they led an offensive in western Anbar province.

The bomber drove his explosives-laden vehicle into the advancing troops north of Anbar’s provincial capital, Isis-held Ramadi, killing the two generals and three soldiers. 10 more were wounded.

A military statement identified the two generals as Major General Abdul-Rahman Abu-Regheef, deputy chief of operations in Anbar, and Brigadier General Sefeen Abdul-Maguid, commander of the 10th Army Division.

On state TV, military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya al-Zobeidi sought to play down the psychological effect of the loss of the two generals. “We will not stop our operations and we will continue to advance,” he said.

The attack came a day after US military announced it was investigating allegations made in the New York Times that the command overseeing the anti-Isis campaign had distorted or altered intelligence assessments to exaggerate progress.

The paper reported that a civilian Defence Intelligence Agency analyst said he had evidence that officials at US Central Command were altering assessments prepared for policy makers, including President Barack Obama.

Also on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Egyptian counterpart Abdel el-Sisi in Moscow.

The two leaders called for the the creation of a broad international coalition against Isis which would include Syria. Nato nations have refused to work with Syria, preferring to back rebels in the country’s civil war.