10 June 2014

Military, security, and local police forces in Anbar, particularly in the regions bordering on Salahuddin Governorate, have adopted security measures as a precaution against the spillover of the situations in Salahuddin and Nineveh into the secure regions of western Anbar.

Meanwhile, military operations are still underway in Fallujah which has been shelled since last night and through noontime today. An initial casualty count shows that 4 residents have been killed and 7 others have been wounded in several of the city's districts.

Two bridges have been blown up: the one connecting Fallujah city with the Amiriyat Al-Fallujah township in the city's southern sector; the second, known as Al-Ibra Bridge, connects Amiriyat Al-Fallujah with Baghdad. Both are vitally important bridges and are main access routes into and out of Fallujah.

In Ramadi, there were violent clashes last night in connection with the escalation of fighting in the areas around Anbar University between gunmen and the security forces, as well as in areas that had been under the control of security forces and to which the gunmen have now returned.

In the continuing civilian exodus from Ramadi and Fallujah, more than 320 families have today moved out of their homes on their way to Hit township in western Ramadi where they were received by some of the humanitarian organizations, and they are now housed in school buildings under very difficult living conditions. With the onslaught of the summer heat and with the approach of Ramadan they are still calling for relief aid.