24 June 2014

The most important development is the aerial bombardment by Syrian regime planes of a number of border positions in Al-Qa'im including the town's central marketplace, killing 17 and wounding 30. These attacks are the second in two days.

In the early hours of this morning, gunmen took control of Haditha township in western Anbar in addition to a village lying between Haditha and Al-Baghdadi. The gunmen were not opposed by any forces, either tribal or military.

In Fallujah today, 7 people were killed and 11 were wounded in renewed clashes and the resumption of shelling on the central, northern, and northeastern districts of the city. Al-Garma and its surroundings has been the scene of intermittent clashes between the gunmen and the army forces which, according to security sources, are preparing a major operation in Anbar to regain the areas seized by the gunmen. But the situation on the ground is that the gunmen are controlling 80% - 85% of Anbar's land area. They appear to be expecting signals to move on Ramadi and to seize total control of the city.

The gunmen, wearing civilian clothes and carrying light weapons appear to be accepted by the residents in those areas.

Up to right now, central Haditha and central Hit are the only towns that the gunmen have not entered. Some sources are reporting that the self-styled 'armed factions' are coordinating among themselves the seizure of the entire governorate, from Fallujah in the east to Al-Qa'im in the west.