More than 100 die in Iraq al-Qaeda battle

Violence in Iraq has left at least 32 civilians dead, as well as 71 militants from al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

More than 100 people have died as Iraqi police and tribesmen battled al-Qaeda-linked militants. (AAP)

More than 100 people have been killed as Iraqi police and tribesmen battled al-Qaeda-linked militants who took over parts of two Anbar provincial cities.

Parts of Ramadi and Fallujah, west of Baghdad, have been held by militants for days, harkening back to the years after the 2003 US-led invasion when both cities were insurgent strongholds.

Fighting began in the Ramadi area on Monday, when security forces removed the main anti-government protest camp set up after demonstrations broke out in late 2012 against what Sunni Arabs say is the marginalisation and targeting of their community.

Police and tribesmen fought in Ramadi and Fallujah on Friday against militants from Al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which operates in Iraq and Syria, security officials said.

At least 32 civilians and 71 ISIL fighters died in the clashes, the officials said, adding that they did not know how many police and tribesmen were killed.

Hundreds of gunmen, some of them carrying the black flags often flown by jihadists, gathered at outdoor weekly Muslim prayers in central Fallujah, a witness said.

One of them went to where the prayer leader had stood, and said: "We announce that Fallujah is an Islamic state and call you to stand by our side."

At least 14 people were killed on Monday and Tuesday in and near Ramadi, while the tolls from the following two days were not immediately clear.

Fallujah was the target of two major assaults after the 2003 US-led invasion, in which American forces saw some of their heaviest fighting since the Vietnam War.