13 July 2015

At 02:00 today, the launch of the major military operation to liberate Anbar was announced. Fallujah was the scene of the initial action, with a six-pronged assault: mainly in the southern, western, and northwestern sectors. Security forces on the city's perimeter have reported that they have advanced about 200 meters from their original positions. Heavy aerial bombardment targeted many of the city's outskirts in addition to the central districts. Security forces have also reported that they lured a large number of ISIL gunmen into an ambush they set up at a military barracks, killing at least 23 gunmen.

A major military operation was also launched in Ramadi from four fronts: in the southern, eastern, and southwestern sectors. An ISIL field commander was killed in the fighting in the northeastern sector of the city. Anbar Operations have announced that the air campaign is still continuing and that the ground offensive has not yet been launched on Ramadi. Meanwhile Iraqi and Coalition air attacks have been targeting positions in Ramadi, Fallujah, and Garma.

Meanwhile, Anbar Operations, Anbar Police, and the Defense Ministry have confirmed that more than 10,000 fighters are involved in the campaign, in addition to more than 5,000 tribal volunteers.

Security forces have also announced that the campaign will increase in scope to include the Province's western regions: Hit, Ana, Rawa, Haditha, Rutba, Al-Qaim have not yet seen any of today's action but will be included in the upcoming phase of the campaign.

There have also been reports indicating that the ISIL commanders in Fallujah - particularly the foreigners - have been fleeing the city, and sources are reporting that 12 ISIL gunmen were killed in Fallujah - a first for Fallujah in over a year. Reports are also indicating that many of the explosions in Fallujah were detonated by units previously infiltrated into the city by security forces.

29 June 2015

In the western township of Al-Qaim on the border with Syria, Coalition warplanes launched a series of air strikes on a number of areas there, including Akashat and its phosphate plant, where large numbers of ISIL gunmen had gathered for a series of meetings. A security source has reported that dozens of the gunmen were killed.

In Ramadi, security forces are reinforcing their stranglehold on the city’s perimeter areas, while clashes were continuing in the Eastern Husayba and Juwayba to the east of the city. Coalition warplanes and Iraqi gun ships struck a number of ISIL positions, killing at least 13 gunmen. More than 800 additional tribal volunteers have been deployed to support the security forces.

An Anbar Council source has reported today that the Council has asked the Prime Minister to withdraw the People’s Mobilization forces that breached discipline by setting fire to a number of homes in the Nukhaib area, including the home of Sheikh Mit’ib Al-Unaizi, a tribal leader of the Unizza tribe. Residents have been accusing the force members of also setting fire to private vehicles in those areas.

In Fallujah, the General Hospital announced today that 9 residents, including 3 women and 4 children, were killed and 11 others were wounded by the ongoing random bombardment exchanges between security forces along the city’s perimeter and the ISIL gunmen holding the city. Central and northern residential districts were hit.

In Garma, The ‘Garma Dawn’ military operation to liberate the town center was launched last night and clashes have been continuing throughout the day. But security forces have not yet been able to penetrate into and seize the town center.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, mortar and rocket fire during the night has struck the town’s residential districts, causing extensive structural damage.

24 June 2015

Iraqi aircraft have attacked number of positions today in the Akashat area of Al-Qaim township on the Syrian border. Sources have reported that at least 47 ISIL gunmen were killed in the raids.

The attacks were made following intelligence reports of special gatherings and meetings in that area.

In Ramadi, military operations are still ongoing along the city’s perimeter. Security forces have today killed at least 11 gunmen in the eastern and northeastern outskirts of Ramadi.

Iraqi air support has also struck targets and positions in central Ramadi; a number of civilians were killed by mortar fire striking the city’s central marketplace.

In Fallujah, heavy bombardment has again struck a number of the city’s residential districts. This was part of the ongoing random bombardment exchanges between security forces on the city’s perimeter and the ISIL gunmen holding the city. A General Hospital source reported today that 7 residents have been killed and 19 wounded by the bombardments.

In Garma, fierce clashes are still going on and heavy bombardment has targeted the town’s central districts and the Sichir area. Six civilians have been killed and 3 wounded.

In Baghdadi, strong calls have been made bylocal residents to the central government for urgent food aid, following ISIL’s seizure of the town’s perimeter and the blockade it has imposed that has been preventing the arrival of any relief aid.

Meanwhile thousands of families are experiencing severe living conditions in Bzaybiz, Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, and Khalidiyah encampments.

06 May 2015

In Ramadi security forces have successfully withstood a fierce attack by ISIL gunmen from each of the northern and eastern fronts. The forces blew up at least 2 booby-trapped vehicles which the gunmen tried to use to penetrate from the northern sector in the Bu-Farraj area, and from the easternmost area of Sufiya. Iraqi gun ships and coalition warplanes also struck targets amid the attacking gunmen who have now withdrawn on both fronts: back across the Euphrates, and deep into the Sufiya area where security forces and elements of the ‘Golden’ Division have launched a military operation, supported by police and tribal fighters. At least 11 ISIL gunmen have been killed in the fighting.

In Ramadi’s southern sector – in the Hawz and adjacent districts – military operations have continued and extended to the environs of the government complex in the city center.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has reported that 2 residents were killed and 6 were wounded by the ongoing random bombardment exchanges between security forces around the city’s perimeter and the ISIL gunmen who have been holding the city for more than year.

Farhan Mohammed, an Anbar Council member, has revealed that ISIL forces are massing in western Anbar at Al-Qaim, apparently preparing to launch a major attack on Haditha and Baghdadi townships. Many gunmen have been deployed in the Al-Qaim, Ana, and Rawa areas for that purpose.

In Garma, security forces have taken full control of the township, but some areas are still booby-trapped while security forces are trying to clear the explosives; there have been some intermittent skirmishes in various parts of the township.

09 April 2015

In the continuing military operations in the Shjariya area east of Ramadi, security forces have secured all of those areas. The forces and the Anbar Council have confirmed that large numbers of ISIL gunmen have fled toward Hamidhiya, southwest of Shjariya.

Security forces have killed at least 23 gunmen, according to Anbar Operations sources.

Also today, Faleh al-Issawi, the Deputy Anbar Council leader, confirmed that Hezbollah units have taken part in the operations that liberated the Shjariya area. More volunteers are also expected to take part in the campaign to liberate Anbar from the ISIL gunmen.

Meanwhile the ‘Golden’ Division’s antiterrorist and rapid-deployment units have carried out a broad operation in the southern districts of Ramadi, specifically advancing to Hawz district.

Iraqi air support has also launched attacks all along the stretch between the southern and northwestern sectors of Ramadi, and security forces have also killed at least 11 gunmen, and at least 3 ISIL snipers were killed when the building they were using was targeted.

Meanwhile Sheikh Na’eem al-Gu’ud, an Anbar tribal elder, announced that ISIL have executed more than 300 al-Qaim residents, having accused them of cooperating with security forces and providing them with intelligence. They had been held in secret ISIL prisons in al-Qaim. The report has not yet been confirmed by either local or external Anbar government sources.

Military operations in Fallujah are continuing; the mobile communications network has been restored, after it had been shut down for more than 48 hours.

A General Hospital source has reported that 14 residents, including women and children, have been killed by the random bombardment exchanges during the past two days, and at least 24 have been wounded by the mortar exchanges between security forces around the city’s perimeter and the gunmen still holding the city.

In Garma, military operations are still underway; the town is fully surrounded amid reports suggesting that a security forces’ assault on the town is imminent.

09 February 2015

It was announced today that the ISIL military 'Wali' in the Jazeera area at Al-Tharthar, Jubayir Al-Algawi, and six of his aides were killed when tribal fighters in the area carried out an attack supported by security forces in the area. A security source has also stated that security forces have taken control of the areas around the Tharthar barrage opposite Ramadi city.

In a further announcement, two ISIL leaders in the Shjariya area, one a Chinese national and the other a Bengali national, were killed when ISIL gunmen attempted to re-take control of Shjariya in a three-pronged attack against security forces in the area repelled the attack, helped by Iraqi air support.

In the Birwana area of Haditha township, ISIL gunmen launched an attack on the area but were driven back by tribal fighters and security forces.

Coalition warplanes today carried out a number of strikes on Al-Qaim in western Anbar on the Iraqi-Syrian border, on the Garma area, and on the areas around Fallujah. Initial Anbar Operations casualty reports indicate that at least 33 ISIL gunmen were killed by the strikes. Meanwhile preparations are underway for an imminent major assault on Hit, according to security and police sources.

In Ramadi's southern sector, broad-based clashes are underway in the sector's residential districts where security forces supported by the 'Golden Division' have repelled a new ISIL attack.

Regarding the incident two days ago in which an armed 'people's fighter' killed two Ramadi civilians, three suspects have been arrested today and taken to the Anbar Operations command. The arrests came in the wake of major demonstrations in Ramadi and Amiriyat Al-Fallujah demanding the removal of the paramilitaries from Anbar, while demanding that the province's own fighters be armed and supplied. The demonstrators stressed that, unless the accused are brought to justice, they would desist from fighting against ISIL.

05 February 2015

A number of mortar rounds have struck Haditha township, killing 3 children and wounding 4 other people, according to a local council source.

In the Hawz district of southern Ramadi, a military operation has killed at least 13 ISIL gunmen. Anbar Operations has reported that security forces have pushed into the district.

A military operation in Birwana, across the river from Haditha, has spread into the areas adjacent to Baghdadi. Security forces killed 7 ISIL gunmen.

Coalition warplanes have attacked targets in the Akashat area on the Iraqi-Syrian border at Al-Qaim. Reports indicate that 6 gunmen commanders were killed in the attack.

In eastern Ramadi, a broad military operation in a number of the sector's districts around Shjariya toward Khalidiya and on toward Habbaniya. An Anbar Police source has confirmed that security forces are making significant advances, somewhat delayed by the ubiquitous mines and explosive devices planted by the gunmen.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has reported that 4 residents have been killed and 16 wounded by the ongoing bombardment exchanges between the gunmen holding the city and security forces around its perimeter.

Confirmed reports out of Anbar Operations show that coalition warplanes have carried out strikes in Garma and its environs. Latest reports show that at least 3 ISIL gunmen were killed, including an ISIL commander in the Garma area.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, indiscriminate mortar fire on the township's residential districts is continuing for the fourth consecutive day, wounding at least 2 residents.

Meetings were held today between the Anbar local government led by Governor Suhaib Al-Rawi, and Prime Minister Hayder Al-Abadi in Baghdad. The Governor's media office says that positive results were achieved, including the central government's approval for the import of U.S. weaponry into Anbar Province via the Baghdad Central Government's channels. A separate meeting with the Interior Minister discussed the disbursement of security forces' salaries in Anbar.

03 February 2015

The Anbar Operations Command has announced today that coalition warplanes have successfully carried out a strike on Akashat on the Iraqi-Syrian border, killing the ISIL western Anbar 'Emir' , Abu Hajir Al-Shimmary, and six of his companions who were on their way from Syrian territory through the border post at Al-Qaim.

In Baghdadi, Col. Sha'aban Al-Obaidi, the SWAT commander in the township, has announced that coalition warplanes have carried out several strikes on the Jubba area of the township, killing at least 23 ISIL gunmen in the western and northwestern sectors of Baghdadi.

In Nu'aymiya, south of Fallujah, coalition warplanes carried out a number of missions, killing 9 ISIL gunmen. The strikes have foiled ISIL's plans to advance on both Ramadi and Fallujah and their surrounding areas.

In Ramadi, the Operations commander, Qassim Al-Dulaimy, announced that a wide military operation is due to be launched in the areas around the city within the next few hours. The operation is to complement the ongoing military operation in Shjariya, northeast of Ramadi. Al-Dulaimy added that the province is relatively calm, but some districts in its southern sector are still experiencing running battles between security forces and ISIL gunmen.

In Baghdadi, there are reports that 2 children have died as a result of the severe shortages caused by the embargo imposed on the town by the gunmen. The townspeople are calling for immediate action by the central government to deliver relief aid to Baghdadi.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has reported that 2 residents have been killed and 9 wounded by the continuing indiscriminate bombardment exchanges.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, at least 10 mortar rounds have indiscriminately struck residential districts in the town.

02 February 2015

An Anbar Operations source has announced that coalition warplanes have targeted the ISIL headquarters located in a cement plant in Al-Qaim at the Iraqi-Syrian border. The source added that at least 25 ISIL gunmen were killed in the strike, including some western Anbar field commanders.

Iraqi air strikes have also struck ISIL positions in the Hsayba area of Khalidiya Island northeast of Ramadi.

Operations are continuing for the fourth consecutive day in the Shjariya area, having expanded into the opposite bank of the Euphrates.

In Ramadi, a number of ISIL mortar rounds have struck the Anbar water plant in the city's center. The Director General of Anbar Water and Sewerage was wounded as a result. There has been major structural damage at the plant consequently, Ramadi and the areas provided with water from the plant have had their water supply cut.

In Fallujah, a General Hospital source has announced today that 2 residents have been killed and 7 wounded by the resumption of the indiscriminate bombardment exchanges.

In Anbar's western regions, ISIL gunmen are still trying to penetrate and assault Haditha and the areas around Baghdadi, but security forces have turned back the attackers.

01 February 2015

Coalition warplanes have launched a number of strikes on targets in western Anbar; 6 ISIL gunmen were killed in the Al-Qaim area, including one of ISIL's field commanders in the western region of Akashat near the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Coalition warplanes have also been in action near the town of Birwana in Haditha township. An Anbar Operations statement says that a number of ISIL gunmen were killed by the strikes.

In Baghdadi, the SWAT commander, Col. Shahban Al-Obaidi, has stated that security forces supported by tribal fighters have established control over most of the areas of Baghdadi where it has been announced that an aerial bridge has been established between the capital, Baghdad, and the Ayn Al-Asad Base that will serve to airlift foodstuffs to the western areas of Baghdadi and Haditha township and its surrounding areas.

In Ramadi, a major security forces attack has enabled these forces to penetrate into the residential districts of the city's southern sector. Security sources say that at least 13 gunmen were killed in the fighting, and 2 others (snipers) were captured. The forces have also erected concrete barriers between the areas they have liberated and the areas still under ISIL control.

In Fallujah, an elevated casualty count from the city's general hospital indicates that 9 residents have been killed and 44 wounded by the continuing mortar-fire exchanges between security forces on the city's outskirts and ISIL forces holding the city. Many of the city's central and northern residential districts were hit by mortar fire.

In the Garma area, airstrikes have killed at least 53 ISIL gunmen, according to  a senior officer of the 1st Division operating in the area.

In Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, the local council leader has confirmed today that the town is surrounded by ISIL gunmen who have continued to shell districts and buildings in the town whose security situation is extremely grim.

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.  

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.

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.

04 November 2014

In Hit and its surrounding areas, sources at the Anbar Operations Command and the Anbar Police Command announced today that the next phase will start with a broad operation in Hit township under the name 'Revenge for the Bu-Nimr Tribe'.

Also today, Iraqi aircraft launched bombardment attacks on some parts of Hit across the Euphrates River, concentrating their strikes on positions held by ISIL gunmen.

The sources also confirmed that over 5,000 volunteers are now at the ready to join the Ahmed Saddam Al-Dulaimi Brigade. They will take part in the next few days in active operations within Anbar Province. The forces are expected to be armed with sophisticated weapons under Iraqi-American supervision, as the U.S. advisers are present in Anbar.

In Al-Qaim that has been calm for more than a month, shells from an unknown source have hit a public marketplace in the town, killing or wounding more than 40 people. Medical sources have confirmed that at least 7 civilians were killed and at least 33 wounded.

In Fallujah, mortar fire exchanges between security forces positioned on the city's periphery and ISIL gunmen controlling the city itself, have resulted in at least 11 residents being wounded, according to the city's General Hospital. Meanwhile one of the hospital's doctors was killed by sniper fire as he was leaving his home in the northeastern sector of Khalidiya.

Living conditions and the humanitarian situation in Anbar Province: Baghdadi is completely surrounded and blockaded, with ISIL gunmen preventing any food or fuel from reaching the town, and they either whip or kill anyone trying to bring in any food supplies. This has driven most of the residents to abandon their homes and look for shelter and food elsewhere.

In Ramadi, military operations are ongoing in the rural areas across the river from the city; security forces are confirming that they have taken control of large parts of those areas, but witnesses are reporting that explosions and heavy gunfire exchanges can be heard from those areas.

19 October 2014

There has been an unprecedented escalation in the security situation, especially by the ISIL gunmen who are trying to take complete control of Anbar Province, after having seized the townships of Al-Qaim, Ana, Rutba, Rawa, and some districts of Ramadi, in addition to their total control of Fallujah and Garma.

Yesterday, the armed ISIL groups launched a fierce attack on the Baghdadi township, between Hit and Haditha, where the Ayn Al-Asad Base is located. The attack was on three fronts: from the north, the east, and the west, involving fierce clashes and mortar bombardment. There was a strong reaction by the tribal fighters who confronted the attack and prevented the gunmen from achieving the total control they sought. They did, however, seize some rural areas on the far bank of the Euphrates, including a village that is only 7-8 km from the center of Baghdadi. The outcome is that Baghdadi is now besieged from all sides, with no food or fuel getting through of which there are severe shortages. Meanwhile the indiscriminate mortar fire has been terrorising the residents, as some of the rounds have struck people's homes.

In Ramadi, there were intermittent clashes in the city's northern and northeastern sectors, as well as in the central districts, but the gunmen were unable to achieve inroads following airstrikes against some of their positions.

In Fallujah, numerous districts were hit by mortar fire. Preliminary reports show that 3 residents have been killed and 9 were wounded by the shelling.

In Garma, following the military operations last week, is now relatively quiet.

Across Anbar, the ISIL gunmen are in control of more than 80% (about 138,000 square kilometers) of the Province, while the local government is still calling for the formation of the province's National Guard.

15 August 2014

The three-day old security campaign in Ramadi is still underway in areas outside the city and in the west-central districts of the city. Yesterday security elements, supported by tribal and 'Awakenings' forces launched an armed attack along the left bank of the Euphrates in northwestern Ramadi that has been controlled by the gunmen, but it was re-taken yesterday by the mentioned joint forces; more than 30 ISIL were killed and a number of their vehicles were destroyed.
In the city's western districts, there are also some ongoing security operations, following the Anbar Police Commander's announcement of the intention to liberate those districts.

In Haditha, battles around the city's periphery continued for three hours yesterday, on the western side of the township. Reports are coming in of the continuing bombardment of that area which is adjacent to Ana township. Some civilians were injured by the bombardment and some of the gunmen's vehicles were set ablaze.

The other western Anbar townships are still being controlled by the gunmen and the region is relatively calm with the exception of some bombardment and some clashes of residential districts close to the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qa'im.

In Al-Garma, a number of residential districts have again been bombarded; 7 persons were killed and 11 were wounded, mostly women and children.

In Fallujah, a preliminary count shows that at least 7 residents have been killed and 18 wounded by the bombardment of several residential districts in the city.

14 June 2014

In Al-Saqlawiya, a township west of Fallujah, has been since yesterday the scene of an operation that began with the targeting of the township seat building with two car bombs. The five-storey building has also been a stronghold of the security forces; we do not yet know the outcome of the attack or the number of casualties it caused. Meanwhile, the gunmen have seized control of large areas of the township following the withdrawal of some security units. However, security forces are still holding numerous areas around the township and are at this time involved in regaining control of the township, with some sources indicating that a security operation will be launched during the next few hours to re-take Al-Saqlawiya.

In Fallujah, shelling of the city's central and northern districts has been ongoing since last night. A source at the Fallujah General Hospital has announced that 4 residents have been killed and 7 others, including women and children, have been wounded.

The town of Al-Qaim in western Anbar has been relatively calm and is still under the control of security forces supported by local police, tribal elements, and townspeople. Meanwhile, ISIL gunmen have seized the border facility on the Syrian side of the border. On the Iraqi side, and after the withdrawal of government forces, the border area is under the control of tribal forces cooperating with the local police. However, the border is more than 600 km long and there are numerous groups of gunmen moving back and forth across the border.

In Al-Garma, fierce intermittent clashes have been underway, and shelling has struck government buildings and some residential homes. We do not yet have any casualty figures from the town.

In Ramadi, although the city is relatively calm, security sources are saying that military operations are underway in the city's southern sector and that they would shortly secure the area. In spite of the optimistic tone of the security reports, large numbers of residents are still moving out of Fallujah, Al-Saqlawiya, and the southern and southwestern districts of Ramadi; they are mostly heading for Hit which has so far taken in more than 70,000 displaced people, a number equal to the town's population, exacerbating the difficulties faced by this township.

Events in Mosul and the neighboring Salahuddin governorate have had their effect on Anbar. The reported capture by the gunmen of the Baiji oil refinery has resulted in huge shortages in petroleum products, in addition to huge rises in the prices of foodstuffs and vegetables. 

13 June 2014

After several days of intermittent fighting in a number of Ramadi's districts, the city awoke today to find a limited curfew in place on a number of dispersed districts. Also today, some families have left their homes in a number of districts after clashes resulted in the wounding of at least 5 residents.

On Thursday, gunmen seized full control of Al-Kubaisa township, west of Ramadi, after a confrontation between army forces and the gunmen; the fighting resulted in the withdrawal of the army forces from their posts, leaving Al-Kubaisa in the hands of the gunmen.

Gunmen also tried to take over the nearby Al-Baghdadi township.

The border region with Syria at Al-Qaim has been abandoned by the army and the border forces. Gunmen launched an attack on the border customs positions, killing 4 army personnel; all army, customs, and border units then completely withdrew. Tribal forces have now formed units charged with protecting the border.

Meanwhile, clashes have intensified in Fallujah since yesterday. Two people, one of them a woman, were killed and 3 were wounded by the ongoing shelling of both Fallujah and Al-Garma.