28 August 2014

During the past few hours there has been an escalation of the security situation in Anbar, particularly in the province's western areas: Haditha is still blockaded on all sides by gunmen who are trying to penetrate into the town. This morning there were fierce clashes between these armed groups and the security, tribal, and 'Awakenings' forces within the town. Overall, 16 personnel have been killed in the fighting, among them 5 gunmen. Overall, at least 23 have been wounded. The areas on the town's periphery also came under aerial bombardment, particularly to the west towards Ana township.

In Fallujah, at least 11 residents have been killed and at least 17 wounded, mostly women and children, according to a Fallujah General Hospital source, by the continued bombardment of numerous central and northern residential districts of the city.

In Al-Garma, 5 residents have been killed today and 7 were wounded by the bombardment during the past 24 hours.

The leader of the Anbar Provincial Council, Sabah Karhout, declared today both Ramadi and Fallujah as being disaster areas as a result of the military operations in and on them; he called on civil and international organizations to intervene by providing relief aid to the two cities where living conditions are very harsh, given that local residents and the gunmen are both present within the cities' districts, and this exposes the residents to the bombardments.

There have been some conversations regarding the formation of tribal military units to fight the armed extremist groups and to support the local police forces. Meanwhile, the northern sector of Ramadi is still witnessing ongoing clashes and bombardment.

27 August 2014

An armed assault and military operations took place today in the town of Al-Hamidhiya, northeast of Ramadi, with air raids targeting specific targets in the town which security forces have promised to liberate.

In Fallujah, military operations today and air strikes on many of the city's residential districts have left 34 people killed or wounded.

In Al-Garma, 5 residents have been killed and 17 wounded by various forms of bombardment, with the town still under the control of the armed groups.

In Haditha, fierce clashes in the northeastern sector of the town during the gunmen's fifth or sixth attempt to penetrate into the town. However, the resistance by the town's defending forces has prevented the gunmen from attaining their goal. Four tribal fighters were killed.

Military aircraft have carried out strikes along the highway between the town of Ana and the Alous township, in the areas still held by the gunmen.

In Hit and Al-Baghdadi, tensions are high after the gunmen distributed leaflets calling on security personnel and the areas residents to refrain from opposing or fighting the armed groups.

26 August 2014

Armed extremist groups have today regained control of the Fallujah Barrage. The sluice gates were then all completely closed, leading to a drop in the water levels in the surrounding areas, while some areas further away - especially those adjacent to Baghdad in the Abu Ghraib township - have had their water supply cut off.

Also in Fallujah, the bombardment of its residential districts between yesterday evening and this afternoon has left 19 residents killed and 17 wounded.

In Al-Garma, a number of the towns residential districts were hit by mortar fire that killed 2 residents and wounded 6.

In Haditha, following a number of attempts by the gunmen to penetrate into the town, a new operation was launched today and was repelled by security and tribal forces, including a significant role by the 'Awakenings' forces, in the aftermath of the posting of a video clip showing the ISIL gunmen executing four young men of Haditha's local police volunteers.

In Ramadi, there has been some escalation of the security situation, with the increase in the ferocity of the clashes today in the Stadium district in southern Ramadi, and also in the northeastern sector of the city. There have also been attempts by the gunmen to re-capture the city's western districts following their 'liberation' by security forces.

Many displaced persons demonstrated today in various parts of Ramadi and the western townships, demanding that the local and central governments should seek urgent solutions to their plight that has continued for about 8 months. They also demanded that the security forces allow them to return to their homes in Ramadi. 

23 August 2014

In Al-Baghdadi, a car bomb was detonated today as it was approaching one of the bridges within the town; 5 residents were killed including 3 children and 6 others were wounded by the blast which also caused substantial material damage.

Air strikes were launched today on Haditha township; however, security, tribal, and 'Awakenings' forces are still holding out against repeated attempts by the gunmen to penetrate into the town after having seized all of the surrounding rural areas.

In Fallujah, 4 residents were killed and 9 were wounded today by the bombardment of some of the city's residential districts.

In Al-Garma, aerial bombardment and clashes have killed 3 residents and wounded 4 others.The Anbar Operations Command has announced that 5 ISIL gunmen were also  killed by the bombardment.

In Ramadi, the city is relatively calm and there have been some families returning to their homes in the central and northern residential districts. Meetings have been taking place at the Provincial Council where there is some apparent confusion over the formation of defensive brigades to relieve the military forces that have been deployed in some of the city's districts.

21 August 2014

Since last night and into this afternoon there have been fierce clashes in Haditha township; they have killed at least 14 gunmen and at least 6 vehicles were also set on fire, according to security sources.

In Hit, a total curfew was imposed today and the township was closed on all fronts following reports of an impending surprise attack by the gunmen in an attempt to seize the town.

In Al-Garma, media reports have said that fierce battles have been taking place between the 'Al-Mujahideen Army', a name that has been adopted by a group of tribal revolutionaries, and the ISIL gunmen. It has been reported that 3 ISIL gunmen have been killed in this fighting.

In Fallujah, some of the city's districts have been bombarded today; 4 residents have been killed and 9 wounded.

Tension is still high in the areas on Ramadi's western outskirts following the security forces' announcement that they have re-taken the western districts and rural areas there. The funds allocated to displaced citizens - one million dinars per family - have yet to be disbursed. The Anbar provincial council leader has promised some of those who had demonstrated at the council building that the funds would be paid out within next week, following his contact with the Prime Minister Designate, Haider Al-Abadi, to seek a solution for those displaced persons.

There has been some political activity aimed at convening a conference between the local government and tribal sheikhs with the designated new government led by Al-Abadi, to seek conclusive solutions to the plight of Anbar province during the past 8 months.

20 August 2014

In Rawa, in the town's Stadium district, an administrative position held by gunmen who have been controlling the town was hit by army shelling. Two women were wounded nearby that location.

In Ramadi, the local police command supported by 'Awakenings' forces have announced that they have seized control of areas lying between Ramadi and Hit.

A military parade has been held in the districts that had been controlled by the gunmen in the city's southern sector.

In Fallujah, 7 residents were killed and at least 13 wounded by the bombardment of numerous central residential districts.

In Al-Garma, 3 residents were killed and 5 were wounded in the targeting of a home within the town.

In Salahuddin province, army forces attempted today to assault Tikrit from three fronts: from the west, north, and east of the city, but informed security sources have said that their forces were unable to take the city in the face of fierce resistance by the armed groups. Many access points had been booby-trapped, and there were many sniper positions that took their toll of the security forces. An airborne attack by paratroopers into the city allowed the forces to take some positions within Tikrit. A security source has reported big explosions in a number of the city's districts; these were explosive charges that were detonated when security forces approached their locations. No casualty figures are available yet.

Eyewitnesses are reporting that hundreds of families have been fleeing the city's residential districts. The precarious security situation has been preventing essential supplies from reaching them.

In Samarra, a new provincial governor has been elected for Salahuddin to replace the Parliament member Ahmed Al-Jubouri who ha submitted his resignation to the Parliament; he is Dr. Ra'ed Al-Jubouri, the former Health Director-General in Samarra.

19 August 2014

A short time ago the Anbar Provincial Council and the security authorities announced the start of the second phase of security operations to liberate the areas in Ramadi's northwestern sector, following the liberation of the rural areas outside the city. Today's reports have indicated that the Anbar Police Commander, in cooperation with the tribal sheikhs, would seek to liberate further territory, after having killed at least 7 gunmen and burned a number of the vehicles that have been used by the gunmen during the clashes in those areas.

Significantly, an announcement in Haditha tells of the formation of fighting platoons by the tribes and supported by the local government with weapons and munitions in order the extend the reach of these groups following their successes in turning back the gunmen's attacks aimed at seizing Haditha.

In Fallujah, 5 residents have been reported killed and 11 wounded by the bombardment of numerous residential districts in the city, especially the central and north-ventral districts.

In Al-Garma, 2 residents were killed and 3 were wounded when a home within the town was targeted.

The local government, following the big demonstrations by large numbers of displaced persons, has demanded the disbursement of the funds already allocated - amounting to one million Iraqi dinars for each displaced family, and that the payments need to be made before the approval of the budget by the Parliament, a process that has long been delayed. Most of the displaced families have spent the last 8 months as refugees, either within or outside Anbar Province.

The main townships and areas in western Anbar are still relatively quiet under the control of the armed groups. There has not been any recent military activity in those areas.

18 August 2014

In Ramadi, the security operation in the northeastern sector of the city is continuing in the rural areas along the banks of the Euphrates. According to a security source, 19 gunmen have been killed and 23 others have been wounded in clashes that began at dawn yesterday and are still underway this afternoon.

In Fallujah, 6 residents were killed and 13 wounded by the continued bombardment of the city's residential districts.

In Al-Garma, 6 residents were killed and 4 wounded, also as a result of the town's bombardment.

In Haditha, security forces supported by tribal forces are reinforcing their positions inside the town; from time to time clashes have been breaking out as the gunmen attempt to penetrate into the town.

17 August 2014

Q:  What are the latest security developments in Anbar?

A:  The operation by security and supporting tribal forces is continuing for the fourth day in areas of Ramadi Island; the areas now have been completely liberated, following the incursion of those forces into the areas where they killed at least 34 of the gunmen and burned their vehicles.

In Fallujah, 6 residents were killed and 11 were wounded by the shelling/bombardment of a number of the city's residential districts.

In Al-Garma, 2 residents were killed and 7 were wounded by the shelling of specific targets including some government centers within the town.

In Haditha, fierce battles erupted when gunmen attempted to assault the town but were driven back by security and tribal forces.

Q:  Media reports indicate that there is some sort of tribal coalition against ISIL, and that there is a view to cooperate with the central government and the armed forces to jointly attack against the gunmen. What do you know about this?

A:  Reports indicate that a meeting was held yesterday, attended by 23 tribal sheikhs representing most of the tribes in the province; they met with the Anbar Police commander, Gen. Ahmed Al-Dulaimi, where they agreed on a document calling for security cooperation and support exclusively with the police forces. They agreed to unite in fighting the armed groups exclusively in support of the local police, stipulating that the tribal forces would withdraw their support if the army becomes involved in the fight against the armed groups. 

16 August 2014

In Fallujah, 9 residents were killed and 14 were wounded by the shelling of numerous districts of the city.

Al-Garma was also the scene of shelling and fierce clashes in various of the town's districts. The local hospital has reported that 4 residents including 2 women and a child were killed, 11 were wounded in the military action that followed an attempt by security forces against the gunmen who have been holding the town for about 8 months.

The operation in western Ramadi is still continuing, with the gunmen attempting today to seize districts that the security forces had re-taken. Fierce clashes in Ramadi Island have left an yet unknown number of casualties from both sides.

Also in Ramadi, a source at the Anbar Provincial Council has announced that the local government, by agreement with security forces, has obtained permission allowing residents of the city's central districts to return to their homes.

In Haditha township, the fiercest clashes to date have taken place between the gunmen who tried to enter the town. Fighting on three fronts is continuing but we have not been able to learn any outcome or casualty figures.

15 August 2014

The three-day old security campaign in Ramadi is still underway in areas outside the city and in the west-central districts of the city. Yesterday security elements, supported by tribal and 'Awakenings' forces launched an armed attack along the left bank of the Euphrates in northwestern Ramadi that has been controlled by the gunmen, but it was re-taken yesterday by the mentioned joint forces; more than 30 ISIL were killed and a number of their vehicles were destroyed.
In the city's western districts, there are also some ongoing security operations, following the Anbar Police Commander's announcement of the intention to liberate those districts.

In Haditha, battles around the city's periphery continued for three hours yesterday, on the western side of the township. Reports are coming in of the continuing bombardment of that area which is adjacent to Ana township. Some civilians were injured by the bombardment and some of the gunmen's vehicles were set ablaze.

The other western Anbar townships are still being controlled by the gunmen and the region is relatively calm with the exception of some bombardment and some clashes of residential districts close to the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qa'im.

In Al-Garma, a number of residential districts have again been bombarded; 7 persons were killed and 11 were wounded, mostly women and children.

In Fallujah, a preliminary count shows that at least 7 residents have been killed and 18 wounded by the bombardment of several residential districts in the city.

12 August 2014

In Haditha, fierce battles have taken place in the Al-Khasfa area, where 7 tribal 'Awakenings' fighters and security personnel were killed. Groups of gunmen were targeted by air strikes, leaving 4 gunmen dead and destroying some of the vehicles they were using.

In Fallujah, 6 residents have been killed including one child, and 10 others were wounded in the bombardment of a number of the city's residential districts.

In Al-Garma, 3 residents were killed and 5 were wounded in the renewed clashes and the bombardment of some of the town's districts.

In Ramadi, at 10:00 this morning, a demonstration took place in front of Governorate Council building. The demonstrators demanded that they be allowed to return to their homes. They also called on the Governor and the local government to provide services and food, as the city has been isolated and goods are not reaching it.

There were also military operations and activity in the area between Fallujah and the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad. Reconnaissance flights and air strikes against gunmen positions were part of the action.

The western townships in Anbar are still held by the gunmen.

Otherwise, the Anbar situation remains unchanged.

10 August 2014

From Anbar

Q:  What are the latest developments in the security situation in Anbar?

A:  The latest development has been the announcement by the Anbar Police commander, Gen. Ahmed Saddam, that security forces have continued their military operation in Al-Hamidhiya on Ramadi Island, with army and police forces entering and securing the whole area.

A surprising development today - particularly as security and police had a few days ago taken over parts of Al-Khalidiya Island - has been the withdrawal of those forces, allowing ISIL forces to re-enter and seize control of those areas once again.

In Haditha, there have been intermittent clashes following the capture of four areas around the town.

In Fallujah, shelling has killed 3 residents and wounded 4 others.

Q:  Yesterday there were reports that Lt.-Gen. Rasheed Flayeh had announced that 47 gunmen were killed trying to infiltrate into Al-Garma. Has their been a change in the balance of power? Are government forces now taking the initiative, or are they still reluctant in attempting to re-take some of the area and to launch attacks against the armed groups?

A:  Generally speaking, based on our observations on the ground, there have been some changes following the dispersal of the gunmen into larger areas and their spreading into other governorates, their numbers remaining in Anbar are fewer than when they were concentrating solely on Anbar. Now there appears to be a positive view of the security forces that are moving into areas that were previously inaccessible to them. In particular, a number of families have been returning to their homes in Ramadi - to the districts that have been relatively calm over the last few days.

From Mosul

Q:  Is there any improvement in the living conditions of the people in Mosul, and what about the food and fuel shortages?

A:  I'm very sorry to say that there has been no improvement at all in the security situation in Mosul which is still plagued by extreme crises: the national electricity supply and fuel are completely unavailable; many employees have not received their salaries for more than two months, not to mention the government's air strikes on the city. All of that has taken its toll on the living conditions and on people's psychological well-being. Many basic supplies have disappeared from the markets and hospitals are struggling with medical supply shortages.

Q:  Gunmen are in control of the access routes into the city and the flow of goods and people into the city is subject to special conditions. There are reports that some Nineveh employees have received their salaries from other cities while others are still doing without. How true are these reports and how does this arrangement work?

A:  It is true that some employees have received their salaries for the last two months from other Nineveh townships, and some have received their pay from Kirkuk, but the fact that these alternative sources are not under government control has deprived the others. With regard to access routes into and out of the city, they are mostly closed in most directions because of the security situation, making it difficult for people to get their owed salaries from elsewhere outside Mosul.  

09 August 2014

Gunmen have seized four areas around the periphery of Haditha that had been controlled by security forces. The surprise attack by the gunmen involved the use of medium and heavy weapons. Simultaneously and in the same area, a pick-up truck carrying an entire family away from Birwana was shelled, and 5 people lost their lives in that attack. Four regiments have been brought in to support the security and tribal forces. The Anbar governor stressed that the action is aimed at preventing the gunmen from entering Haditha and capturing the important Haditha Dam.

In Fallujah, 3 residents have been killed and 9 others wounded by the bombardment/shelling of a number of the city's residential areas.

Numerous districts of Al-Garma have also been shelled, killing 1 resident and wounding 9 others.

The main townships in western Anbar are still controlled by the gunmen. Gunmen positions in areas outside Ana have been shelled but we do not yet any casualty details.

In Ramadi, the situation is relatively calm following the broadening of the fighting in the city's western sector. Families have been returning to their homes in the central and northern districts that are now without water or electricity services, and there are severe shortages of foodstuffs and fuel.

Thus, Hit and Al-Baghdadi are the only towns in Anbar without a presence of the gunmen, and consequently have not been involved in any military operations. There are however reports about the gunmen's intention of trying to seize those two townships, particularly as Al-Baghdadi is the site of the large Ayn Al-Asad military base, one of the largest in Iraq. Al-Baghdadi is now also providing shelter for more than 4,000 displaced families that are also suffering from food and financial shortages.

08 August 2014

Fierce clashes have taken place in Haditha between the gunmen and security forces supported by tribal fighters. The forces within the town were able to repel an attack by the gunmen who were pushed out of their positions in and around the Birwana area that includes several rural villages. Security forces say they have killed at least 7 of the gunmen.

In the areas around Al-Baghdadi and Hit, the gunmen are still dispersing leaflets in which they are threatening an incursion into the towns within hours or a few days.

In Fallujah, 4 residents were killed and 7 were wounded by the shelling/bombardment of a number of the city's residential districts.

To the northeast, in Al-Garma, clashes and shelling have killed 3 residents and wounded 7.

Meanwhile, the main towns of western Anbar have now spent one month under the control of the extremist gunmen who are administering the towns; they have re-opened government offices after changing their names. However, intermittent air strikes are still being launched against groups of gunmen in some of these areas. Yesterday, the area along the border with Syria was also attacked.

07 August 2014

The Anbar Provincial Council has issued two press statements. In the first, all council members threatened to submit their collective resignation if the government did not stop the random shelling and aerial bombardment of residential areas in Ramadi, Fallujah, Al-Garma, and other cities. 

In the other statement, some council members announced that they had been working on the establishment of armed units that will be subordinated to the Anbar Provincial Council and coordinated with Anbar police and military authorities, respectively. Members of these armed units will be recruited from the ranks of former Iraqi Army officers. The idea is now being discussed in the lobbies of the Anbar Provincial Council in order to receive the necessary authorization from Baghdad and launch the project.  

In Fallujah, 3 people were killed and 7 wounded in the aerial bombardment of the residential areas of Askari, Nazzal, Shurta, Wahda, Kamaliyat, and Sharia Arbaan ("Street 40"). The total figures show that over 600 local civilians have been killed and 1,422 wounded by bombardment since the beginning of military operations in late December 2013.  
In Al-Garma, 2 people were killed and 3 wounded in the aerial bombardment that continued from late last night till this afternoon. 

In Haditha, a security source has announced that Iraq's security forces have managed to retake control over the town of Barwana, which is situated west of the city of Haditha on the Tigris River. 

There has been some information on heavy overnight clashes between security forces and armed groups, with the latter trying to enter Haditha, but a strong response from the security forces and pro-government "Awakening" militias based in Haditha stopped them.  

In Al-Qaim, aerial bombardment and/or shelling of southern sectors of this border city wounded 4 people. 

06 August 2014

To begin with Fallujah, the city's general hospital was shelled at 11:00 this morning and initial casualty figures show that 7 people have been killed, including two hospital staff members, and 35 have been wounded, including 7 staff members. This is the 23rd time that the hospital has come under fire. The emergency section and its surrounding sections sustained substantial damage.

In Ramadi, security forces have succeeded today in liberating 3 districts beyond the city limits that had been controlled by ISIL gunmen. Anbar Council sources say that 31 gunmen were killed. There were also military operations along the banks of the Euphrates on Ramadi Island where 4 wanted persons were captured; they were among the gunmen who were controlling those areas.

In Al-Garma, 2 residents were killed and 7 were wounded in the shelling targeted on many of the town's districts where property damage is extensive.

The main western Anbar townships are still under the control of the gunmen. In a surprising development, gunmen have been able to occupy the Birwana area which is administered by Haditha. This has resulted in the mass migration of many of the area's residents; they have made their way to safer locations, especially in Al-Baghdadi and areas around Hit, where they are facing harsh living conditions. There was a new attempt by the gunmen yesterday to assault Haditha but the army, security, and 'Awakenings' forces within the town repulsed the attack, killing at least 3 gunmen.

Leaflets distributed in Al-Baghdadi and other western Anbar areas are reminding the areas' residents that next Friday is the deadline prior to the gunmen's assault on them, unless the army and police forces abandon them. They are calling on these forces to surrender their weapons.

05 August 2014

Between yesterday evening and this afternoon, numerous residential districts in Fallujah were shelled/bombarded; an initial casualty count shows that 6 residents were killed and 13 were wounded.

In Al-Garma, intermittent clashes around the town's periphery and the bombardment of its residential districts have killed 2 residents and wounded 4.

In Ramadi, the military operation against the city's western districts has continued, but we do not yet have any updated casualty figures.

In Haditha, the gunmen, after failing yesterday to penetrate into the town, have now taken control of the town's outlying villages and rural areas.

The main western townships that encompass vast portions of Anbar governorate are all still under the control of the gunmen.

An important development is that those displaced from Fallujah, Ramadi, and other eastern Anbar regions made their way originally to the western townships that were still under government control. But now the security situation in those townships has become similar to the situation in their original hometowns, prompting some to look for other safe havens; meanwhile some Ramadi and Fallujah residents have been returning to their homes regardless of the shelling and military operations. Most of them do not have the financial means that would allow them to seek refuge outside the governorate, in Kurdistan or elsewhere. Today we have observed numerous families taking refuge in trucks parked in Hit and Al-Baghdadi that are still relatively calm. Others have set themselves up in parking areas and in other unsuitable locations where they are experiencing extremely difficult conditions. No food and water aid or relief has found its way to them.

04 August 2014

The most significant development between yesterday evening and this afternoon has been a significant rise in the daily civilian casualty count in Fallujah. At least 11 residents have been killed and more than 19 wounded by the bombardment/shelling that has targeted numerous residential disrtricts in the city.

In Al-Garma, residential districts have also been directly targeted by airborne attacks, killing 3 residents including one woman and wounding at least 4. A number of residential homes have been badly damaged based on the possibility of their being used by the groups of gunmen who are still controlling the town, as they are inside Fallujah, ever since the crisis began at the end of last year.

In Ramadi, a three-day old security operation is still underway, led by the army, the police, and the 'Awakenings' forces that are trying to re-take the western districts of the city that were previously free of the gunmen who have been able to seize and control them. The mentioned security operation is thus likely to continue beyond its current duration. A complicating factor is that many of the displaced from other parts of the city are now within those targeted districts.

In western Anbar, the gunmen have yet again attempted to mount an incursion into the Haditha town from the north, west, and east, but they have been held at bay by the fierce resistance of the security forces supported by tribal fighters within the town. Air attacks have also been used to attack groups of gunmen on the town's periphery. Further west, the main townships are still under the total control of the armed groups, although air attacks have been targeting some of those groups in the region. A security source has said that security, army, and 'Awakenings' forces are still attempting to secure Ramadi before turning to the other regions of the governorate.

03 August 2014

There have been a number of new developments on the ground between last night and this afternoon:

Most significant is the third attempt by the ISIL armed groups to assault Haditha. Fierce clashes took place around the town, but the gunmen were not able to penetrate into the town; on the contrary, there was a fierce response by the 'Awakenings', tribal, and the security forces supporting them, in addition to the participation of airforce. We do not yet have any casualty assessment arising out of nearly four days of military operations.

In Al-Baghdadi, between Haditha and Hit, the Ayn Al-Asad military base was hit by rocket fire, but we do not yet know the outcome. An 'Awakenings' position in Al-Baghdadi was targeted by an explosive device. Flyers were also distributed warning those who support the security forces of being killed if they do not declarer their 'repentance'. 

In Hit, one individual was killed by a silenced weapon in the town center, prompting an investigation, and closing down of some districts through a partial curfew.

In Ramadi, clashes resumed in the city's western sector, in districts that are still controlled by the gunmen. Other parts of Ramadi appear to be secure and have not experienced any military activity. We have taped a large demonstration by hundreds of Ramadi residents who were demanding the intervention of the security forces and government officials to allow them to enter the city to seek new ways of making a living, following the destruction of their homes in central and southern Ramadi.

In Fallujah, numerous residential districts were bombarded yesterday; 4 residents, including one woman, were killed and 7 others, including 2 women and a child, were wounded as a result.

In Al-Garma, the situation is unchanged, with shelling and intermittent clashes continuing in most of the town's districts, including some government buildings and positions, such as the, water, electricity, and health centers.

02 August 2014

Since yesterday, a fully armed force of ISIL gunmen has been trying to mount an incursion into Haditha township that includes the Haditha Dam which provides water from the Euphrates to southern Iraq at a rate of 2,000 cubic meters per second. Yesterday's attack consisted of a force using more than 50 vehicles, but it failed as a result of the fierce resistance from within the town. Other, outlying areas and villages are now occupied by the gunmen. The fighting killed at least 14 tribal fighters and at least 20 gunmen were also killed.

In Ramadi, a major security operation was launched today by  army, police, and tribal volunteer forces aimed at re-taking the city's western districts, but we can still hear and see continuous explosions and columns of smoke, and the combined security forces could not penetrate into that area.
Other parts of Ramadi are relatively calm, including the southern and northern sectors of the city.

In Fallujah, casualty figures have increased since yesterday evening as a result of the continuing bombardment of many of the city's residential districts, particularly the southern and central districts, leaving 4 residents killed and 7 wounded.

In Al-Garma, northeast of Fallujah, the central districts were bombarded. The town's general hospital has confirmed the deaths of 3 residents with 11 others wounded.

01 August 2014

The most prominent development in Anbar has been in Haditha township, where since yesterday evening and through this afternoon the clashes have continued between ISIL gunmen and the police and army forces supported by the 'Awakenings'. For more than a month the gunmen have been threatening to overrun Haditha if the opposing forces do not surrender, allowing them to seize control without a fight. But at about 6pm yesterday an attack was launched on three fronts, preceded by the blowing up of the bridges connecting Haditha to its environs, and the sole bridge between Haditha and Al-Baghdadi. The first front of the attack was from Al-Khafsa, south of Haditha, the second front was from the northeast, and the third was along the banks of the Euphrates River. As of right now, this afternoon, army, police, and supporting forces appear to be in control of the town, but the gunmen are in control of large areas around the town, toward Birwana and Al-Haqlaniya and their surrounding areas. Initial casualty counts show that 7 Jaghayfa tribesmen, 10 of the Bu-Nimr tribe, have been killed, as have 31 insurgents since yesterday evening.

The only element that has foiled the gunmen's attempt to overrun Haditha has been the use of air bombardment.

In Fallujah, the shelling/bombardment since last night has, according to initial casualty reports, killed 3 civilians and wounded 7 others.

In Al-Garma, there has also been shelling of the town's residential districts; security forces have announced their control of the Al-Shihabi road between Fallujah and Ramadi.

In Ramadi, the situation is relatively calm and there have not been any military operations on the scale of those in Haditha or Fallujah. Some clashes do occur from time to time, but there is activity in the public markets.