13 December 2014

The Anbar Provincial Council held an emergency meeting today, during which it unanimously voted to relieve the Governor, Ahmed Khalaf Al-Dulaimi, of his administrative duties and sent him into retirement, for health-related reasons. The names of three candidates for the post were put forward, to be voted on tomorrow or the next day. The three candidates are Dr. Jassim Al-Halbousi, Engineer Arkan Khalaf Al-Tarmouz, and Suhaib Al-Rawi.

In western Ramadi, ISIL gunmen have seized control of the Wafa'a region, and they have now surrounded large numbers of army personnel and tribal fighters in the extreme western Ramadi area.

An ISIL gunman driving a Hummer detonated the vehicle near a military barrack in southwestern Ramadi. Three security personnel were killed and 16 others were wounded in the blast.

In Haditha, security forces have detonated a booby-trapped vehicle as it attempted to enter the town' s southern entrance. The attacker was also killed by security forces, but there were no civilian or security casualties.

Clashes have intensified today in Ramadi's southern sector following yesterday's ISIL attempts to advance into the southern districts.

There was also a broad security operation yesterday in Baghdadi by ISIL forces in the town's periphery where the Ayn Al-Asad military base is located. However, security forces supported by tribal fighters successfully repelled the gunmen.

In Hit, the situation remains unchanged, with security forces surrounding the town and unable to penetrate into the town.

In Fallujah, a large number of mortar rounds fell on the city yesterday, killing 3 civilians, one of whom was a child, and wounding 9 others.

The humanitarian situation in Anbar is at its worst, with many parts of the province surrounded and blockaded, and ISIL preventing any food supplies into these areas. Sources indicate that many people, particularly children and the elderly, are dying because of food, milk, and medical shortages.

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.

03 September 2014

In Haditha today, U.S. air strikes have targeted large numbers of gunmen positioned in the Birwana area south of the town. According to security sources, at least 43 gunmen have been killed by the strikes, thus allowing many tribal fighters to enter the area and to secure the road between Haditha and Al-Baghdadi and on towards Hit.

In Fallujah, today's preliminary casualty count shows that 9 residents have been killed, including 3 children and a woman, and 13 wounded as a result of the bombardment of several of the city's residential districts.

In Al-Garma, the town has been bombarded since last night and through this afternoon; 2 residents have been killed and 4 others wounded.

In Ramadi, the central and northern districts are relatively calm, and some families have been permitted by security forces to return to their homes in central Ramadi.

The Anbar governor, Ahmed Khalaf Al-Dulaimi, announced today that 2,000 men, called the 'Elite Forces' have been equipped; they are to be trained to the highest levels, following the news of the arrival of U.S. trainers to assist U.S. air sorties in re-establishing control and to provide a new launching position that would allow the regaining of control throughout Anbar.