31 January 2015

ISIL has successfully detonated a booby-trapped fuel tanker near the hospitality structure of Sheikh Lawrence Al-Hadhal, an influential tribal leader and former parliamentary member. The attack in the Nukhaib area killed the Sheikh and five of his relatives gathered at the location.

In the Shjariya area northeast of Ramadi, security forces have this morning successfully taken control of the three major axes in the area, killing at least 17 ISIL gunmen. The surrounding areas have been bombarded and many explosive devices planted by the gunmen have been diarmed and cleared.

The Anbar Operations command announced a short while ago that coalition warplanes have launched their fiercest strikes to date on ISIL positions in Al-Qaim, on the Iraqi-Syrian border. No casualty counts have yet been reported.

Fierce clashes have been underway since yesterday in the Falahat region of Eastern Anbar against ISIL forces by security forces supported by tribal fighters; 8 gunmen were reported killed in the fighting around the Fallujah perimeter.

In Garma, 9 ISIL gunmen have been killed in clashes in and around the township.

Overall, according to security sources, security forces are now on the offensive with the aim - over the next few days - of clearing the ISIL gunmen out of Anbar Province.

29 January 2015

Anbar Police commander Kadhum Al-Fahdawi announced today that 3 villages in the Shujariya area northeast of Ramadi have been liberated, and that 23 ISIL gunmen were killed in the fighting. The roads in and around the area have been cleared and secured. The ISIL field commander in the region was also killed.

A security sources has announced that coalition warplanes have launched a number of airstrikes against a number of ISIL convoys in Rutba township, killing 11 gunmen.

In the Horan area between Baghdadi and Haditha, the ISIL 'Wali' for the area was confirmed killed by U.S. military personnel operating out of the Ayn Al-Asad Base in the area.

A military operation in the Birwana area of Haditha township has been assaulted by security forces on four fronts and liberated. Security sources are reporting that 17 gunmen were killed.

In Fallujah, a medical source has announced today that two residents were killed and five were wounded by the continuing indiscriminate bombardment exchanges.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, the township came under mortar fire but no casualties have been reported.

Clashes have resumed today in the southern and northern sectors of Ramadi . Coalition warplanes are reported to have carried out strikes in the area between Anbar and Salahuddin Provinces.

28 January 2015

The Anbar SWAT commander, Col. Sha'atan Al-Obaidi, has announced that his forces, supported by tribal fighters, have established control of all the villages in Baghdadi township between Hit and Haditha, including the area across the Euphrates from Baghdadi town. Fierce clashes erupted this morning in which all medium and heavy weapons were deployed, and at least 13 ISIL gunmen were killed in the fighting.

Direct flights between the Ayn Al-Asad Base and the capital, Baghdad, have transported hundreds of civilians wanting to leave Baghdadi.

In Ramadi, violent clashes erupted when ISIL gunmen attempted to penetrate into the city from its southern sector. Security forces supported by coalition warplanes and Iraqi air units have repelled a number of attacks between dawn today and into the afternoon. Anbar Operations sources report that 3 ISIL snipers positioned on the roofs of buildings in Hawz district were killed.

To the northeast, a secondary military operation in the rural tribal areas; security forces have taken control of the industrial zones near the banks of the Euphrates, across from Ramadi city. In the Shjariya fighting today, 23 ISIL gunmen have been reported killed and at least 100 explosive devices have been disarmed in a number of homes.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has reported today that 4 residents were killed and 7 wounded by the indiscriminate shelling between ISIL gunmen holding the city and security forces around its perimeter.

In Garma. violent clashes erupted in the area lying between Anbar and Salahuddin Provinces, and in the township's industrial zone. Incoming mortar fire on a number of the town's residential districts has wounded 7 residents.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, at least 20 ISIL mortar rounds have struck the township, wounding 4 civilians. There have also been clashes in the areas between the township and the boundary of neighboring Babil Province.

Coalition warplanes have again struck at a number of ISIL convoys in western Anbar. Security sources report that many of the gunmen were killed by the airstrikes.

27 January 2015

The Anbar Police Commander, Gen. Kadhum Al-Fahdawi, announced today that security forces have established control over the Bu-Ghanim area of northeastern Ramadi, while fighting is still underway since last night in the Shjariya area. Gen. Fahdawi added that security forces have taken control of the industrial zone in Shjariya and that at least 7 gunmen have been killed there. More than 300 explosive devices have also been disarmed.

Ramadi city has been relatively quiet today, but fierce clashes are underway in the city's southern sector. A security source stressed that ISIL forces had intended to launch an attack on central Ramadi from the south but security forces have succeeded in turning them back and in killing at least 11 of the gunmen.

In western Anbar, the Anbar Operations commander has announced that coalition warplanes have carried out a number of missions on areas around Haditha. Reports indicate that about 50 ISIL gunmen were killed in convoys making their way from the Syrian border, via Al-Qaim, Ana, and Rawa.

In the Garma area, major military operations have taken place in the township's industrial zone; at least 23 ISIL gunmen have been killed in the fighting.

In Fallujah, mortar fire is still falling into the city, amid the ongoing bombardment exchanges. 8 residents have been injured in several of the city's residential districts.

A meeting at the Anbar Council among tribal elders and religious scholars has been reviewing the security situation in the province, amid calls for a popular mobilization to fight against ISIL.  

26 January 2015

Since the early hours of this morning a curfew has been in force throughout Ramadi. Meanwhile, security forces have launched an attack on the Shujariya area; a security source has stated that at least 11 ISIL gunmen have been killed and more than 275 explosive devices have been disabled and removed.

The commander of the 'Golden Division' has announced that his forces have repelled a broad attack in Ramadi's southern sector; 22 ISIL gunmen have been killed so far.

The curfew announcement has coincide with the start of a military operation in the city's southwestern districts that are mostly controlled by ISIL gunmen.

Anbar Council member, Arkan Khalaf Al-Tarmouz, has announced that security forces and tribal fighters have been able to fully liberate the Bu-Ghanim area to the northeast and eastern Ramadi.

An Anbar Operations source has announced that ISIL gunmen have attempted to carry out a major attack on the Birwana area of Haditha township, but Iraqi air support and coalition warplanes intervened by destroying a number of ISIL's convoys in the area. Initial reports indicate that about 30 gunmen have been killed, including an ISIL field commander.

Meanwhile there are concerns arising from the attacks being mounted by ISIL in and around Ramadi and Haditha.

In Fallujah, a source at the General Hospital has announced that 4 residents including one woman and a child have been killed, and 11 have been wounded by the indiscriminate shelling of the city's residential districts.

Meanwhile the Anbar Council has announced that some members of the delegation that has been visiting Washington DC have returned because of their local commitments in Anbar. Those who have returned have expressed their satisfaction over the results of their visit with regard to pledges of assistance and support by the U.S. and the coalition.

25 January 2015

An Anbar Operations source has announced today that coalition warplanes have targeted an ISIL convoy on the Iraqi-Syrian border, killing 6 gunmen, including a member of the ISIL leadership.

Coalition warplanes have also launched strikes on Ramadi's perimeter, killing 23 ISIL gunmen.

Clashes resumed today in the Khasfa area that lies between Haditha and Ana. Clashes involving 4 ISIL snipers have resulted in the killing of an officer of the 7th Division.

Military operations on the perimeter around Haditha, specifically across the Euphrates from the town have totally secured the area between Alous and Haditha.

Military operations are also continuing, aimed at liberating the Shjariyah area northeast of Ramadi. The Anbar Police commander announced today that 95% of the area is now secure, with some snipers still in position on a number of rooftops. The road linking the area with Ramadi city has also been secured.

In Ramadi, ISIL gunmen attempted to penetrate into the city from the southern Hawz district; however security forces and the intervention of coalition warplanes have turned back the attack. A number of buildings in the Anbar University complex have also come under fire today; at least 50 ISIL gunmen in what has become their Ramadi headquarters were killed.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has announced today that 2 residents have been killed and 11 wounded in the resumption of the daily indiscriminate bombardment exchanges. 

Clashes have also resumed in the areas in and around Garma, particularly in the town's industrial zone. Coalition warplanes and Iraqi air support have launched a number of strikes against ISIL positions there, killing a number of the gunmen.

A conference in Anbar including tribal elders, religious scholars, and local government members has stressed the need for a popular mobilization of Anbar citizens, to be supplied by the central government with arms, ammunition, and training, in order to carry on the fight against the ISIL gunmen in the province.  

24 January 2015

The Anbar Council member, Sadiq Jamil, announced today that the Bu-Risha area is now fully under the security forces' control:

Jamil: The Al-Bu-Risha area is fully under the control of the security forces. The ISIL gunmen have been expelled, and the main highway from the west into Ramadi is now open to traffic.

The Council member also referred to the areas around Haditha:

Jamil: Fighters of the Jughaifa tribe supported by other tribal forces have liberated a number of areas in the Khasfa region of Haditha Township.

The Anbar Council member also called on the central government to supply arms and ammunition to the tribal forces:

Jamil: All that remains for us is to call on the central government to take advantage of the tribal forces' exceptional motivation by providing them with what they need in the way of arms and ammunition.

A medical source at the Fallujah general hospital announced today that 4 residents have been killed and 11 others wounded by the ongoing indiscriminate bombardment exchanges between security forces on the city's perimeter and ISIL gunmen within the city.

Coalition warplanes have struck targets in and around Garma, killing at least 28 of the gunmen, following fierce clashes in the town's industrial zone and in the areas linking Anbar with Baghdad.

22 January 2015

It was announced today that Abu Anas Al-Samarra'ee, the ISIL commander in western Anbar, was killed in a coalition airstrike on an ISIL convoy making its way from Syrian territory toward Anbar Province in Akashat. A number of his bodyguards were also killed and at least 8 vehicles destroyed by the strikes.

An Anbar Operations security source has announced that fierce clashes have resulted in the liberation of the Khashba area between Haditha and Ana townships, and that at least 23 ISIL gunmen were killed in the fighting.

The Bu-Ghanim tribe in northeastern Anbar has warned the central and local governments and threatened that it will withdraw from the fight against ISIL unless its fighters are supplied with arms and ammunition within five hours. This follows the capture by ISIL gunmen of large areas in the region who killed at least 23 local police personnel and tribal fighters.

Also today, coalition warplanes targeted an ISIL military convoy in the Sihil area northeast of Baghdadi. The convoy was on its way to the town of Alous that was liberated yesterday by security forces, and at least 53 of the gunmen were killed and all of the convoy's vehicles, including a booby-trapped fuel tanker that was to be detonated in the attack on Alous, were destroyed.

In Ramadi, Anbar security sources have stated that the situation in Ramadi is at its most dangerous it has been for more than a year and that ISIL forces are threatening to overrun the city, unless the Defense Ministry and the central and local governments intervene by supplying the Province's forces with the arms and ammunition they need to continue the fight against ISIL. The city has sustained more than one attack during the past two days aimed at seizing the provincial capital.

In Fallujah, the general hospital has reported that 4 residents have been killed and 11 wounded in the ongoing indiscriminate bombardment exchanges between security forces controlling the city's perimeter and the ISIL gunmen holding the city.

Security forces have turned back an ISIL attack on Garma, while coalition warplanes have killed at least 33 gunmen in the town and its surrounding areas.

20 January 2015

At dawn this morning, ISIL gunmen launched an attack on the Al-Bu-Risha area northeast of Ramadi, targeting the buildings and reception facilities belonging to Sheikh Ahmed Abu-Risha, head of the Iraqi Awakenings Council. A number of booby-trapped vehicles were used in the assault on the complex. Security and police sources are reporting that the ensuing clashes resulted in killing at least 7 of the gunmen. Other sources have reported that ISIL gunmen have seized a number of buildings in the Abu Risha compound.

To the west, ISIL gunmen attacked border areas around the Al-Waleed crossing, intending to overrun a number of army posts using booby-trapped vehicles, but security forces supported by coalition warplanes succeeded in repelling the attacks, killing a number of the gunmen and destroying a number of their vehicles.

In Al-Nukhaib in southwestern Anbar, ISIL gunmen tried to seize control of an army facility belonging to the Anbar Operations Command, but the attempt was foiled. Meanwhile, the Anbar Police commander, Gen. Kadhum Al-Fahdawi, announced that army forces supported by local police and tribal forces have taken control of the Zdariyah area in the western sector of Haditha township.

Fierce clashes and coalition airstrikes are underway in Garma, northeast of Fallujah. Anbar Operations sources are confirming that at least 37 ISIL gunmen have been killed in the action.  Meanwhile, unidentified mortar fire has struck residential districts in Garma, killing 7 residents, including 3 women, and wounding at least 23 others.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has announced that 3 residents have been killed and 7 wounded by the continuing indiscriminate bombardment exchanges between ISIL forces within the city and security forces around its perimeter.

In Ramadi, to-and-fro battles are continuing in the southwestern and southern sectors of the city, with ISIL gunmen attempting to re-enter the Hawz and its surrounding districts. The attempt has been foiled and 4 ISIL snipers, including a non-Iraqi Arab, were killed. ISIL forces replied with mortar fire aimed at the southern residential districts. 4 residents were wounding amid severe structural damage.

19 January 2015

In Ramadi, security forces, especially the 'Golden Division' have repelled a broad attack by ISIL gunmen from the city's southwestern sector, killing 15 of the gunmen according to an announcement by Anbar Operations.

Security forces report that they definitively seized control of 3 villages between Baghdadi and Haditha, and have cleared all the mines and explosive devices planted by ISIL gunmen, thus clearing the road between the two towns.

In Baghdadi, although the town was relatively calm, gunmen did launch an attack southwest of the town, in the sector across the river from the town. Yesterday, two ISIL Chinese women were captured and taken to an undisclosed location, and at least 17 gunmen were killed in the attack southwest of Baghdadi.

In Fallujah, gunfire and bombardment exchanges have continued throughout the night and into the early hours of this morning, leaving 6 residents killed and 19 injured, among them a woman, according to a source at the city's general hospital.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, tribal leaders have once again called for their fighters to be provided with arms and ammunition, particularly in ISIL-controlled areas of Anbar Province.

Official statements from the Anbar Council indicate that members of the Anbar delegation in Washington DC have met with U.S. military officials. Partial agreement has been reached on arming and recruiting tribal forces, aimed at preventing the renewed capture by ISIL of the Province's cities and towns. Following the return of the delegation, decisions will be made regarding military operations aimed at liberating ISIL-controlled areas, especially Fallujah city.

18 January 2015

Anbar Operations Command and the SWAT Command announced today from Baghdadi that the road between Baghdadi and Haditha township has been secured following the liberation of three of the area's villages. They also announced that 17 ISIL gunmen were killed in the fighting.

On the opposite side of Haditha, security forces have repelled a surprise attack by the gunmen trying to infiltrate into Haditha. Seven of the gunmen were killed, including 3 non-Iraqi Arabs.

Coalition warplanes have launched a number of strikes, ranging westward from Haditha to Ana, Rawa, and the border township of Al-Qaim on the Iraqi-Syrian-Jordanian border. The strikes targeted a number of ISIL positions, killing dozens of the gunmen, according to security sources.

In Ramadi, a number of ISIL mortar rounds have struck several areas of western and central  Ramadi, killing 2 residents and wounding 17, mostly women and children.

In southwestern Ramadi, fierce clashes have resumed in the sector's residential districts. The Anbar Police Commanded reports that gunmen have been killed in the fighting.

An official statement today has declared that the Shujaria area has been completely cleared and all mines and explosive devices have been disarmed and removed from the roads and buildings in the area.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has confirmed that 2 residents have been killed and 25 wounded following the resumption of clashes and indiscriminate bombardments. Clashes also resumed today in Garma's industrial zone and the its southern sector at the junction of roads leading to Fallujah and to Salahuddin Province.

The tribal elder members of the Anbar delegation in Washington DC have expressed their satisfaction over the visit aimed at reaching a strategic agreement that would enable the U.S.-led coalition to fight ISIL in Anbar and to form and equip a tribal fighting entity to combat ISIL in Iraq's western region, particularly in Anbar.

17 January 2015

Security forces with Iraqi air support have taken full control of three villages in the areas around Haditha township in the direction of Baghdadi. The forces killed 11 ISIL gunmen in heavy clashes.

In Baghdadi, security forces have repelled an ISIL attack in the township's southwestern sector, killing 3 of the gunmen in the area across the Euphrates leading to Haditha.

In Ramadi, fierce clashes broke out today when ISIL gunmen attempted to penetrate into the city's western districts. The attack was repelled and 17 gunmen were killed in the fighting, according to Anbar Operations sources.

Fierce clashes also erupted today in Ramadi's southern sector, where security forces have seized control of several districts.

In Shujariya, security forces have established full control of that area and have disabled and removed more than 100 explosive devices planted by the ISIL gunmen.

In Fallujah, the General Hospital has stated that 4 residents, including a woman and a child, have been killed and 17, most of them women and children, have been wounded as result of the bombardment exchanges. 

Clashes have also resumed in the industrial zone in Garma; the clashes spread into Amiriyat Al-Fallujah Township. The town has resisted an ISIL attack launched yesterday and continued through the early hours of this morning. At least 11 gunmen were killed in the foiled attempt.

An Anbar delegation, including the Council Leader, the Governor, and tribal elders has departed for Washington D.C. where they will exchange views on the security situation in the Province. There are also reports that the American presence in Anbar and the possibility of forming new 'Awakenings' and an Anbar National Guard  will also be discussed.

15 January 2015

Security forces supported by tribal fighters have today succeeded in surrounding the western town of Rutba. There are reports that an assault on the town is imminent, supported according to Anbar Operations sources, by U.S. military advisers.

Also today, an Operations source confirmed that coalition warplanes targeted an ISIL convoy on its way from Al-Qaim on the Iraqi - Syrian border towards Haditha/Baghdadi. The entire convoy was destroyed and dozens of ISIL gunmen were killed.

In Haditha, the local Council leader, Abdul-Hakeem Al-Jughaifi, announced today the launching of a military operation to liberate the Alous an Bu-Hayat areas, between Baghdadi and Haditha.

In southwestern Baghdadi today, fierce clashes have been underway in those area across the Euphrates from Baghdadi town. There have been no statements yet about the outcome of the fighting. Yesterday, the SWAT commander in Baghdadi, Sha'aban Al-Obaidi, stated that security forces have liberated all the areas around Jubba village on the southwestern outskirts of Baghdadi.

In Fallujah, the General Hospital reported today that 4 residents have been killed and 17 wounded by the ongoing mortar-fire exchanges.

Clashes have also resumed today in Garma, where security forces have killed at least 17 ISIL gunmen following their takeover of the town's industrial zone, along the boundary between Anbar and Salahuddin Provinces.

Military operations are continuing in Amiriyat Al-Fallujah. A number of ISIL-launched mortar rounds have struck the town, injuring 11 civilians, mostly women and children.

In Ramadi, the city has been relatively calm today, but some minor clashes have been reported in the city's southern and western sectors.

More than 300 explosive devices have been disarmed today along the Shujariya area's roads and in a number of the areas houses.

14 January 2015

In Haditha, coalition warplanes have attacked an ISIL convoy on its way from western Anbar toward Haditha township. A source at Anbar Operations has reported that the entire convoy was destroyed and dozens of ISIL gunmen have been killed.

Sources at Anbar Operations and the Police Command are reporting that the Iraqi army's 29th Division, supported by tribal fighters and coalition air support, has established a cordon around Rutba township in western Anbar. It appears that a military assault on Rutba aimed at liberating it from ISIL's grasp is imminent. The township has been under ISIL control for nearly nine months.

In Baghdadi, a broad military operation in southern Baghdadi has resulted in the recapture of large areas across the Euphrates from Baghdadi town.

In Anbar, security forces have reported that they, supported by tribal forces, have seized control of the Shjariyah area of eastern Ramadi. The forces have today disarmed more than 500 explosive devices planted by ISIL gunmen in the area between Shjariyiah and Khalidyah, in the northern and northeastern sectors of Ramadi.

In Fallujah, bombardment exchanges betwen ISIL gunmen within the city and the security forces surrounding it have, according to sources at the General Hospital, killed 13 residents including 4 women and a child, and wounded 17 others, mostly women and children.

ISIL gunmen today launched mortar attacks on the Amiriyat Al-Fallujah township's residential districts, wounding at least 11 civilians.

13 January 2015

In Fallujah, the indiscriminate exchanges of mortar fire between ISIL gunmen within the city and security forces along its perimeter have resulted in an increased casualty count, as reported by a source at the General Hospital: 13 residents, including 3 women and 3 children have been killed and at least 17 have been wounded in the central and northwestern districts of the city.

In Garma, military operations have been underway in the areas around the town, in the industrial zone. An Anbar Operations source has reported that coalition warplanes have struck a number of targets in Garma and its environs, killing at least 28 ISIL gunmen, including 3 commanders.

In Ramadi, clashes have intensified in the southern sector and western districts. Security and police sources confirm that 3 ISIL snipers have been killed in the Hawz district that has been penetrated by the government forces during the past week.

A 7th Brigade commander in Baghdadi has confirmed that coalition warplanes and Iraqi air support have launched a number of strikes on targets in Haditha, Ana, Rawa, and on toward the Syrian border, killing 'dozens' of ISIL gunmen.

In Haditha, broad military operations in the township have enabled security forces to take control of the main locations in the area and are attempting to clear the area of the gunmen.

The head of the Fallujah municipality, Faisal Issawi, has announced that his local council, together with the Anbar Council have received the central government's approval for the formation of a brigade, consisting of 3,000 fighters, mostly from Anbar, to liberate Fallujah. They are to be trained in various military camps within the province, especially at the Habbaniya military base and the Ayn Al-Asad base at Baghdadi.

12 January 2015

In Fallujah, the General Hospital has today reported that at least 11 residents have been killed and 17 wounded, mostly women and children, as a result of the resumption of clashes and the ongoing mortar exchanges between ISIL gunmen within the city and the security forces surrounding it.

Clashes have also resumed today in Garma, following the security forces' seizure of a number of plants in the town's industrial district.

A source at the Operations Command has reported that coalition warplanes has struck targets in the Garma area, killing 11 ISIL gunmen.

Security forces have today re-taken control of the tribal areas lying between Haditha township and Baghdadi. ISIL gunmen had attempted to seize these areas but were turned back by military and tribal forces with Iraqi air support and coalition airstrikes. The Operations source has reported that at least 79 gunmen were killed in the operations.

ISIL gunmen also attempted to assault the town of Birwana, but they were repelled by security snd tribal forces.

In Baghdadi, gunmen are still in control of a number of villages in the town's southwestern rural areas along the Euphrates.

In Ramadi, a lull in the fighting has been reported following the advances achieved by security forces two days ago.

The Anbar local government has met yesterday and on Saturday with central government leaders in Baghdad. The overall security situation in Anbar was discussed. The Anbar Council leader also met the UN Special Representative in Iraq, to discuss the conditions being faced by the displaced refugees and the overall humanitarian situation in Anbar.

11 January 2015

In Birwana in westernmost Anbar and 10 km from Haditha, security forces supported by tribal fighters laid an ambush on ISIL gunmen of whom 5 were killed; they were non-Iraqi Arab nationals, according to a source at the Haditha municipality.

Coalition warplanes also targeted a number of ISIL military vehicles, killing at least 23 gunmen.

In Baghdadi, the situation remains unchanged, but security forces have been able to liberate three villages in the southwestern outskirts of the town. Security forces' snipers have also killed 3 gunmen in the area between Baghdadi and Haditha.

In Ramadi, running battles are still underway in the city's southern sector districts. Security forces have asserted that they have killed 17 ISIL gunmen over the past three days and that they have penetrated several kilometers into the Hawz district.

In Fallujah, there has been an escalation in operations in the areas around the city, particularly in Garma and Amiriyat Al-Fallujah. Within the city, 3 residents have been killed and 7 wounded by mortar fire.

10 January 2015

In Ramadi, fighting in the city's southern sector has intensified today. Security sources are reporting that so far their forces have killed at least 14 ISIL gunmen, as the forces advanced into the Hawz district.

In the rural area across the Euphrates, fierce fighting has been continuing while coalition warplanes launched strikes at specific targets in the area, killing at least 52 gunmen, according to Anbar Operations sources.

In Shjariya in eastern Ramadi, clashes intensified today in that area which has been held by the gunmen, security forces have defused explosive devices in at least 10 residences. The road between Shjariya and Khalidiya has also been cleared and liberated.

In Baghdadi, security forces have cleared Jubba, a town on the southern outskirts of Baghdadi; Iraqi air support also struck a number of ISIL positions, killing at least 18 gunmen according to sources at the Ayn Al-Asad military base.

In Fallujah, mortar fire has struck a number of the city's residential districts, killing at least 3 residents and wounding 14, according to the city's general hospital.

07 January 2015

In Haditha, a fifth ISIL assault on the town was repelled by security and tribal forces, while coalition warplanes launched a number of strikes that killed at least 27 gunmen, according to Anbar Operations and Police sources.

In Baghdadi, ISIL has launched an attack that has continued since last night and into this afternoon. Gunmen have blown up a number of electricity substations leaving wide area of the town without electrical power.

In Hit, the situation remains unchanged, but there are reports of an imminent military operation to be launched within the next two or three days, aimed at liberating the town from the ISIL presence there.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, in southernmost Anbar, ISIL gunmen have today launched mortar attacks on a number of the town's districts, killing 4 residents and wounding 11, including 3 children and one woman. Clashes have also spread toward the Anbar - Babel provincial boundary. Security forces there report that they are in control of the situation.

In Fallujah, mortar-fire exchanges are continuing; two residents have been killed and 4 wounded.

In Ramadi, the city's southern sector has been calm today; the Khalidiya area that has been under ISIL control but they are completely surrounded by security forces that have been unable to retake the area.

06 January 2015

In Baghdadi, an ISIL suicide bomber has blown himself up near a mosque in the Jubba area that is mostly controlled by the gunmen. Fierce fighting has also sparked a mass migration by the area's residents who made their way in boats across the river to the opposite bank and hence toward the town's center. The suicide bombing killed 3 police personnel and wounded 7 others.

The areas to which ISIL has blown up their access bridges were also engulfed in clashes.

In Hit, violent clashes have been taking place in the southern sectors of the town in which Iraqi air support has taken part. An Anbar Operations source reports that at least 21 ISIL gunmen have been killed in the fighting and at least 17 of their vehicles have been disabled.

In Haditha, a fifth consecutive attempt by the gunmen to penetrate into the town from the south and from the west has been repelled and Iraqi aircraft have destroyed at least 4 ISIL vehicles and 11 gunmen have been killed.

In Ramadi, fierce clashes in the city's southern sector have enabled security forces to seize partial control of the Hawz district where security forces snipers have also killed 4 gunmen. In the city's northern Khalidiya area, security forces are attempting to secure and disarm the explosive devices planted by the gunmen in a number of homes and buildings, but they have not yet taken over complete control of the area.

In Fallujah, recent reports about an imminent major military operation against the ISIL-occupied city have been dismissed by an Operations source, but the dismissal has not prevented a major migration by the city's residents who are moving out toward the surrounding rural areas. Meanwhile mortar fire has killed 4 residents, including one woman, and wounded 11.

On the political front, there has been a positive reaction regarding the meeting between the new Anbar governor, Suhaib Al-Rawi, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Haider Al-Abadi, who agreed to provide financing and compensation to the province's population and arming the Anbar tribal forces.

05 January 2015

The most significant development overnight and through this afternoon has been a series of ISIL attacks on border posts manned by army personnel and border guards, particularly those along the border with Jordan. An attack on the Annaz border post in westernmost Anbar was repelled by security forces and Iraqi air support. The Anbar Operations has just reported that at least 50 ISIL gunmen have been killed in the border-post attacks.

In Haditha and for the fourth consecutive day, ISIL gunmen have launched intermittent attacks on the town's perimeter, particularly along its southwestern sector. Security and local forces are reporting that they have thwarted more than one attack on the western and southern approaches of the town.

Iraqi air support and coalition warplanes were also involved, killing at least 11 gunmen.

In Baghdadi, there has been mortar fire on the town's southwestern sector, and security forces have announced that they have not been able to re-take the areas, including 14 villages, that were recently captured by ISIL forces.

In Ramadi today, security forces have succeeded in liberating the Bu-Nasser area in western Khalidiya, in northwestern Ramadi. With Iraqi air support they have killed at least 23 gunmen, including some non-Iraqi Arab nationals.

In other military action in the southern and western sectors of the city, security forces have killed an Iraqi ISIL commander in westernmost Ramadi.

In Fallujah, clashes and mortar fire exchanges have achieved some ISIL gains, while incoming mortar fire has struck a number of the city's central, southern, and northern residential districts. The city's general hospital has reported that 4 residents have been killed and 16 wounded.