A wave of suicide bombings by Islamic State militants has killed 40 soldiers in the western province of Anbar.
General Rashid Fleih said the attacks occurred on September 21, adding that some 70 other soldiers were apparently captured by Islamic State (IS).
It was not clear whether the attacks took place in the town of Sijir or the city of Saqlawiyah.
The AP news agency quoted another security official as saying the Iraqi military withdrew 700 troops stationed in the area after IS fighters launched a massive wave of attacks on soldiers involving suicide bombings.
Islamic State controls large swaths of Syria and seized much of Iraq's north and west this summer.
Iraqi and Kurdish security forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, have since been able to retake several small towns.
