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.