08 September 2014

The most significant topic on the streets of Anbar has been the attacks launched by U.S. warplanes, mainly on western Anbar regions. A large number of such attacks have been carried out against groups of ISIL gunmen. The most recent have been strikes in the Ana and Rawa townships, but we do not yet know the outcome of the strikes that also targeted areas on the western outskirts of Haditha. A security source at the Anbar Operations Command has announced that such airstrikes have also targeted gunmen positions surrounding the Haditha Dam. However, there have also been some intermittent clashes  - the most recent about one hour ago - involving some gunmen attempting to enter the town from the southern villages they are still holding.

Naturally, these security developments and particularly the American airstrikes have been welcomed by Anbaris and by their local government, especially as they have been seen to be accurately targeted strikes that have not resulted in any civilian casualties, whereas the bombardments by government forces have regularly killed and wounded numerous civilians.

A short time ago, a security source in the Al-Sichir district of Fallujah, two booby-trapped homes were blown up when security forces entered them; at least 24 army personnel were killed and at least 33 were wounded by the blasts.

Also in Fallujah, government aerial bombardment of a number of the city's central and northern residential districts has killed 3 residents and wounded 17, according to Dr. Ahmed Al-Shami, the senior resident at the city's general hospital.

In Ramadi, residents demonstrated today demanding of the local government to end military operations and to allow them to return to their homes.

On the political front, the deputy Anbar Governor for technical affairs has been appointed Governor, replacing Governor Ahmed Khalaf Al-Dulaimi who was wounded and is now receiving treatment at a hospital in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

A 40-kilometer trench has been completed today, to protect the Al-Wafa'a area in western Ramadi. This has been done in several other locations in order to thwart any renewed attempt by the gunmen to seize territory, and the same measure will be repeated in a number of other locations.