22 June 2014

Iraqi army units have withdrawn from the westernmost border crossing in Anbar. Syrian air force planes launched air attacks at several gunmen positions in the no-man's-land along the road between Iraq and Syria, at Al-Waleed.

Meanwhile, the towns of Ana, Rawa, and Al-Qai'm are now completely in the gunmen's hands. This morning, Rutba awoke to find that the military units there have withdrawn, leaving the gunmen in control of all the town's vital installations. Observers are now estimating that about 80% of Anbar governorate is under the control of the gunmen. However in Hit and Haditha townships, where the tribal Awakenings are active, more than 5,000 tribal fighters took part in a military parade in the townships.

In Ramadi, there have been intermittent clashes in the area around Anbar University and the western sector of the city.

In Fallujah, the city is still surrounded but gunmen who had seized control of the Al-Maftoul crossing have now removed all the concrete barricades, allowing a significant number of residents to return to their homes even though their residential districts are still being randomly shelled. The casualty figures for yesterday and up to noontime today show that at least 4 residents have been killed and 11 have been wounded by the resumption of the shelling of a number of the city's districts.

Speculation is continuing about the ability of the gunmen to seize control of the whole governorate, that would threaten imminent military operations along the administrative boundary between Anbar and Baghdad Governorate, given that the Al-Garma and Fallujah junction is no more than 60 km from the capital.

Political activity is still seeking a way out of the crisis, but it is difficult to foresee the effect of the events in Salahuddin, Mosul, Kirkuk, and Diyala, given that the gunmen are using their vehicles to maintain control of the roads in the areas between Anbar, Nineveh, and, Salahuddin.

12 June 2014

In Fallujah, gunmen have succeeded in seizing the Al-Maftoul crossing which is the only access point into and out of Fallujah. It had been under the control of Iraqi forces, but after violent clashes yesterday the gunmen succeeded this morning in capturing the crossing. They have removed the concrete barriers and are now operating the crossing.

Within Fallujah, the northeastern areas of the city were the scene of intermittent clashes, especially in Al-Sichir and along the Baghdad highway.

A source at the Fallujah General Hospital has just announced that 2 people have been killed and 4 others wounded in the shelling of several residential districts.

In Al-Garma, northeast of Fallujah, shelling has been continuous since last night and into this morning. The targeted districts have also been the scene of fierce clashes between military forces and the gunmen inside the town.

In Ramadi, a local government official announced today that an extended meeting between the Anbar governor and security commanders in Anbar. The meeting centered on altering the situation from its present defensive mode into an offensive mode, in order to re-establish control over all of Ramadi. Areas outside Ramadi, on Al-Khalidiya Island are still the scene of intermittent clashes. No casualty count has yet been announced.

In Hit, army engineers were able to disarm a car bomb that had been parked next to a garage. The other western regions of Anbar are under strict security measures following confirmed reports of the gunmen's plans to assault the western towns, along the lines of what took place in Salahuddin, Nineveh, and some parts of Kirkuk.

Some units of the Iraqi army's Border Guards have been withdrawn, in a sudden and surprise move, from the areas along the border with Syria.

Meanwhile, volunteer tribal forces have taken up arms and are protecting the border strip against any infiltration by Iraqis or non-Iraqis.

Generally, citizens are concerned and afraid that the security situation in Anbar will deteriorate, in a similar way to what has already happened in the other Iraqi governorates bordering Anbar.

31 May 2014

The Anbar crisis is today entering its sixth month.

Yesterday, suicide bombers detonated their vests at the Al-Bu'abaid police command HQ on Al-Khalidiya Island; gunmen were attempting to seize the post amid the eruption of heavy clashes resulting in the capture and arrest of 4 of the attacking gunmen, while 2 others were killed. The army sent in reinforcements to the area.

Fierce clashes also erupted in Al-Kubaisa, a township southwest of Hit in western Anbar, when gunmen launched an attack aimed at capturing the town. The local police, supported by army personnel, responded quickly; the gunmen then withdrew to an unknown destination after a gunfight that lasted about 30 minutes.

In Fallujah, local police supported by tribal forces and army units tried to enter Al-Saqlawiya, southwest of the city, where they clashed with groups of gunmen; the security forces are affirming that they are now in control of the area.

In Fallujah itself, the Al-Maftoul crossing - the only access point into or out of the city - was closed today. Meanwhile, indiscriminate shelling continued through last night and into noontime today. At least 3 persons were killed and 7 were wounded by the shelling. Local and international relief organizations are providing aid while trying to evacuate the remaining civilians from the city, in response to reports of an imminent military thrust into the city within the next few days.

The Anbar Governorate Council has stressed that there will not be an assault on Fallujah, and arrangements are still being made for convening the conference on the Anbar situation in Baghdad.

24 May 2014

In Fallujah, since last night and into this afternoon, military operations have continued without any army penetration into the city itself, given the fierce resistance shown by the gunmen. Army units are still positioned around the city's perimeter. Many Fallujah residential districts have been bombarded.

A medical source at the Fallujah General Hospital stated that 4 people have been killed and 19 others have been wounded today as a result of the shelling that has targeted many of the city's districts, as well as the northern sector around Al-Sichir and the northern sector around Al-Nu'aimiya.

The city's water-treatment plant was hit and has been severely damaged. Last week, the power plant was hit, depriving the whole city of electrical power.

Stringent security measures are still in place along the city's perimeter. The only access into and out of the city is at Al-Maftoul which is being opened at specific times to allow residents to leave the city.

In Ramadi, military operations are also continuing and a curfew is still in place amid strict security measures. The curfew has been lifted in the quieter residential districts but is still being enforced in the southern sector.

An Anbar police source has affirmed that security forces have advanced, particularly in the southern and southwestern districts which are now under their control.

In another development, a car bomb parked near the administration offices in Haditha - 138 km west of Ramadi and which has been safe and secure and free of any military operations - was detonated, wounding 7 people of whom 4 are local police personnel. The vicinity was secured and a curfew has been in place through this morning.

Meanwhile the situation being faced by the displaced Anbaris remains unchanged. A member of parliament from Anbar and chairperson of the Migrants and Displaced Persons Committee, Liqa'a Wardi, has revealed that cases of skin diseases have been reported among the migrants as a result of the rise in temperatures and water pollution; there have also been reports about the spread of other diseases - such as cholera, bilharzias, and malaria. She has also stressed that the migrants are in desperate need of relief aid.

10 May 2014

Fallujah - where a major offensive by army, police, air force, local police, and SWAT teams was launched yesterday - is today the scene of fierce clashes on four fronts: from the north at Al-Sichir, from the south at Al-Nu'aimiya, from the west at the Fallujah barrage, and from the area of Fallujah University. Very loud explosions can still be heard, violent clashes are still raging, and random shelling of many of the city's residential districts is ongoing, as well as the northern areas adjacent to Al-Garma township. As of this afternoon, at least 14 people have been killed and at least 47 have been wounded as a result. The Fallujah General Hospital was again hit this morning by mortar fire which resulted in structural damage but there were no injuries reported.

The exodus of Fallujah's residents is still underway on a large scale, even after the departure yesterday of more than 1,000 families. There is, of course no transportation and these people are making their way on foot. In an ugly incident yesterday, an entire family consisting of 4 children, their parents, their grandmother, and the driver who was a relative, were killed at the Al-Maftoul crossing when the car in which they were traveling was targeted by mortar fire.

Reports are still indicating that there is a direct confrontation between the gunmen and the security forces surrounding Fallujah, but security sources are confirming that they have not made any headway against the fierce resistance by the ever-present gunmen. The sources are indicating that more time will be given in order to wear down the gunmen, thus enabling the military forces to overcome the armed groups within the city.

Following the announcement by the leader of the Anbar Governorate Council, Sabah Karhout, that the Fallujah barrage has been re-taken by government forces and that the Euphrates water levels are receding, but there is no indication of that claim on the ground. Initially, the river water had been redirected toward the Tharthar Lake beyond Fallujah, but there are still large areas of what has become marshland in Abu Ghraib and areas south of Fallujah and southern Al-Nu'aimiya. At least 16,000 people have been displaced by the flooding and the quagmires that have resulted. The resulting health hazard and the evil-smells has already been reported as having made many people sick with diarrhea. The lack of action by official agencies has left many angered and desperate people. Meanwhile, flood waters are still making their way toward Baghdad, but some experts are saying that the water will be diverted away from the capital.

In Ramadi, there have been some clashes in the city's southern sector, and groups of gunmen are still trying to establish positions within the city, hoping to alleviate the pressure on the gunmen in Fallujah. However, the level of the clashes is far below what is going on in Fallujah. Although there might still be a peaceful solution being sought, it is the military option that appears to be the only viable option.

Other Anbar regions have also experienced some security developments: the Rawa township in the west, which has been relatively quiet all along, experienced the detonation of two explosive devices that targeted an Iraqi Army patrol, killing 4 of the security personnel.

Al-Garma, the township northeast of Fallujah, is still completely surrounded and the town is fully blockaded; yesterday was one of the most violent days it has experienced; a leaked video clip has shown the dropping of the exploding drums that were dropped from the air onto the town. The electricity distribution center and a number of schools have been targeted and major damage has been inflicted on government buildings in the town as well as civilian dwellings. 11 people have been reported injured in Al-Garma in the operations that are still going on since last night.

23 April 2014

Today gunmen launched an attack on the town of Al-Hamidhiya, northeast of Ramadi. Sixteen gunmen were killed and 4 local police personnel were injured in the attack.

Meanwhile limited intermittent clashes have been going on in a number of Ramadi's outer districts. The central and northeastern districts have been relatively quiet.

In Fallujah, today is the third day of the total blockade around the city after the closure of the Maftoul exit/entry point.

The city is still experiencing indiscriminate shelling of many of its districts. Three residents have been killed and 7 have been injured by the shelling.

Regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Anbar Election Commission has moved a polling station from central Ramadi to the Ayn Al-Asad base in Al-Baghdadi township in western Anbar. Activity is continuing with the aim of ensuring success in the voting. The Anbar Governorate Council and some political observers are concerned about the possibility of vote-rigging at the transferred polling station which is now located at an army base where some parties may try to falsify the balloting.

22 April 2014

In Ramadi, the Iraqi security forces have entered the Al-Hawz district, one of the districts that have been the scene of extensive security operations during the past three days; one of its police stations has been reopened after the district was totally secured on all sides. There have also been scattered clashes in a number of other Ramadi districts, particularly in the city's southern sector.

In Al-Khalidiya, there was an attempt on the life of its police chief, Major Mohammed Mar'ee, via the detonation of 3 explosive devices on the main road through the township; he and three others were injured in the attack.

Within Fallujah, the city is closed off on all sides, now that the security forces have closed the Maftoul crossing; this was the only way into and out of the city.

There has also been indiscriminate shelling of a number of the city's residential districts; first reports indicate that 6 residents have been killed and 7 others injured by the shelling.

Also today, a primary school was blown up by gunmen in the Al-Nu'aimiya district; no reason has been determined, but there was no loss of life in the incident.

In Al-Garma, to the northeast of Fallujah, gunmen today attacked an army unit near the April 28th Bridge that spans the Tigris branch; heavy fighting broke out in the aftermath of the attack. The Al-Garma township is still closed off on all sides, following yesterday's violent clashes and the aerial and artillery targeting of the town. The fighting subsided at around dawn today, leaving the area relatively calm.

In Ramadi, a candidate of the Iraqi Union Coalition in the upcoming parliamentary election, Sa'eed Hamoud Darweesh, was injured when 3 explosive devices were detonated near his home; 3 civilians were injured in the attack. This is the second attempt to assassinate a candidate, and this has raised the fear among other candidates with regard to their campaigning.

Campaigning is virtually non-existent in both Ramadi and Fallujah, while there is some low-key campaigning in the governorate's relatively calm western regions, although there were some skirmishes in Hit yesterday, where a mortar round struck a building close to the Local Council. Nobody was injured but the building sustained some light damage.