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.

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 Iraqi gun ships and coalition warplanes also struck targets amid the attacking gunmen who have now withdrawn on both fronts: back across the Euphrates, and deep into the Sufiya area where security forces and elements of the ‘Golden’ Division have launched a military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.

04 February 2015

In Garma, the Anbar Operations command reports that coalition warplanes scored direct hits on ISIL gunmen concentrations in the area, killing at least 23 of them. Further coalition strikes in the Saqlawiya area west of Fallujah have also killed 9 ISIL gunmen.

Warplanes have also launched strikes against targets in Akashat on the Iraqi-Syrian border at dawn today. Security sources are reporting that 9 ISIL military commanders were killed in the area.

In Haditha, security forces have been able to secure all four of the town's fronts, especially in the Birwana area in the township's southern sector, where security forces clashed with ISIL gunmen attempting to penetrate into the township from the direction of Ana. An ISIL suicide bomber driving a tractor-trailer from the Ana area toward Haditha, but Iraqi air units struck the target before it could rich a military barracks at the town's southern entrance.

In Ramadi, a statement has confirmed that the Shjariya area northeast of Ramadi is now almost totally under the security forces' control. The disarming and removal of explosives devices planted by ISIL gunmen in the area's residential homes are continuing.

Ramadi has been relatively calm today, including in the southern and southwestern districts. Security forces are still erecting concrete barriers between the areas under their control and those controlled by ISIL.

In Fallujah, the general hospital has reported today that 2 residents have been killed and 6 wounded by the now-daily indiscriminate bombardment exchanges. 

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

09 September 2014

There have been many escalations of the security situation today, particularly in Anbar's western regions:

Haditha has been the scene of military operations and airstrikes. A Military Command spokesman has announced that 34 ISIL gunmen have been killed and 9 of their vehicles have been set ablaze.

The local Haditha municipality head has confirmed that the security situation is under control and that it is the security forces who are in control on the ground in Haditha township and its surroundings.

U.S. warplanes have also struck targets in the vicinity of the Haditha Dam.

Since last night and through noon today U.S. military aircraft have attacked a number of other targets, particularly in the townships of Ana and Rawa.

In Fallujah, loud explosions have been heard as a result of the government bombardment of the central and northern districts in the city. Nine residents have been reported killed and 23 wounded.

In Al-Garma, 2 residents were killed and 8 were wounded in the bombardment of the time since last night and through noontime today.

Military operations are still continuing in Ramadi, after Federal police forces regained control of the areas along the main highway linking Iraq with its western neighbors. Large numbers of security forces have been deployed along this highway that stretches over several hundred kilometers.

The Deputy head of the Anbar Council, Saleh Al-Issawy, has confirmed that the Anbar Governor was injured several days ago in Birwana and that he has undergone successful surgery and that his condition is now stable, and that he might be able to return to Anbar in the coming days.

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.

05 September 2014

In Haditha, violent clashes are still going on, the air strikes targeted groups of gunmen between Haditha and Anah, killing 13 of them.

In Fallujah, 7 civilians have been killed and 34 wounded by the bombardment of numerous districts in the city.

In Al-Garma, 3 residents have been killed and 7 wounded by the bombardment of the town's residential districts and government buildings.

In Ramadi, the central and northern districts are still relatively calm. Security forces have been able during the past few days to retake control of the Al-Howz area southwest of the city. Air strikes were launched yesterday on the western districts of the city against gunmen positions.

Security forces are coordinating with the Municipal Council on organizing and equipping the 2,000 volunteer fighters.

Many Anbar residents are still without electric power and many are still without their ration cards.

04 September 2014

Haditha has today been the scene of violent clashes on three fronts that the gunmen are using in their renewed attempt at penetrating into the town; there was fierce resistance on these northern, eastern, and southern fronts, as well as air attacks on three of the gunmen's positions on the northern and northeastern front. According to a security source, 14 gunmen were killed and 6 of the vehicles they were using were destroyed. Reports also indicate that the air strikes were carried out by U.S. warplanes.

In Fallujah, an early casualty count shows that 9 residents were killed and 14 were wounded by the bombardment of many of the city's residential districts, the Al-Sichir area to the north, and the Al-Nu'aimiya area to the south.

A casualty count in Al-Garma shows that 3 residents have been killed and 9 were wounded by the bombardment of the town during the last few hours.

In Ramadi, 2,000 men are being trained and equipped to bolster the security forces. They have been dubbed 'the Quick-Response Elite Brigade' and will be used in the fight against ISIL forces. The tribal sheikhs have agreed with the Anbar governor to use these men within Ramadi.

Meanwhile, a car-bomb was detonated in central Ramadi a short time ago; first reports tell of 4 residents being killed and 6 wounded by the blast; 3 members of the security forces were also killed.

The western Anbar regions - Hit, Ana, Al-Rutba, and Al-Qa'im - are still under the gunmen's control as they have been for more than 3 months.

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.

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.

09 August 2014

Gunmen have seized four areas around the periphery of Haditha that had been controlled by security forces. The surprise attack by the gunmen involved the use of medium and heavy weapons. Simultaneously and in the same area, a pick-up truck carrying an entire family away from Birwana was shelled, and 5 people lost their lives in that attack. Four regiments have been brought in to support the security and tribal forces. The Anbar governor stressed that the action is aimed at preventing the gunmen from entering Haditha and capturing the important Haditha Dam.

In Fallujah, 3 residents have been killed and 9 others wounded by the bombardment/shelling of a number of the city's residential areas.

Numerous districts of Al-Garma have also been shelled, killing 1 resident and wounding 9 others.

The main townships in western Anbar are still controlled by the gunmen. Gunmen positions in areas outside Ana have been shelled but we do not yet any casualty details.

In Ramadi, the situation is relatively calm following the broadening of the fighting in the city's western sector. Families have been returning to their homes in the central and northern districts that are now without water or electricity services, and there are severe shortages of foodstuffs and fuel.

Thus, Hit and Al-Baghdadi are the only towns in Anbar without a presence of the gunmen, and consequently have not been involved in any military operations. There are however reports about the gunmen's intention of trying to seize those two townships, particularly as Al-Baghdadi is the site of the large Ayn Al-Asad military base, one of the largest in Iraq. Al-Baghdadi is now also providing shelter for more than 4,000 displaced families that are also suffering from food and financial shortages.

22 July 2014

From last night and into this afternoon, there has been a further attempt to assault Al-Garma on four fronts. Extended clashes and battles have left 4 of the town's residents dead and 9 others wounded. Some public buildings and other government facilities were shelled indiscriminately.

In Fallujah there have been some greater casualty counts, with 11 residents killed and 31 wounded by the military operations and the yesterday's bombardment of the city.

In Ramadi, gunmen are still holding the city's western districts that have been bombarded and attacked by security forces, while the city's central districts are still relatively quiet.

Gunmen are still in control of the western townships in Anbar (Ana, Rawa, Al-Qa'im, and Rutba). 'Preemptive' air strikes have been targeting gunmen positions in the Iraqi-Syrian border regions; 1 gunman was killed and 7 were wounded in these attacks.

11 July 2014

In Ramadi, the gunmen have tried to take the areas in the western parts of the city where there are a number of security and military positions; they have seized and are still in control of the 5 Kilo, 7 Kilo and Al-Ta'meem districts. Fighting continued through the night. Some areas in the city's countryside on Al-Khalidiya Island in northeastern Ramadi have also been the scenes of clashes.

In Fallujah, the city is still being shelled daily, but gunmen are still in control. The shelling targeted a number of residential districts and a casualty count yesterday shows that 3 residents, including a woman, have been killed and 13 others wounded.

In Al-Garma, 30 km northeast of Fallujah, there were also clashes in the zones that have usually been the scenes of clashes and shelling between gunmen, within the town and military forces controlling its surroundings.

In western Anbar, the gunmen are still controlling Al-Qa'im, Ana, Rawa, and Rutba that are still being bombarded by the army and the air force. Districts within Ana were bombarded yesterday, as were the border regions along the Syrian border. The gunmen have been moving toward capturing Haditha, Al-Baghdadi, and Hit that are still under security forces' control; Haditha is the location of the strategically important Haditha Dam, and Al-Baghdadi is where the large Ayn Al-Asad military base is located, while Hit is strategically located and is home to a number of military and security camps. Military activity is now focused on preventing the gunmen from seizing these areas.

05 July 2014

Beginning in Ramadi, the city is under a total curfew since last night and into today after reports revealing that the armed groups are intending to launch a major operation aimed at seizing all of Ramadi. There has also been a concentrated deployment of security forces and tribal volunteers to protect banks and public venues; bridges have also been closed down and connecting streets within the city have also been blocked off in order to prevent the gunmen from taking over the areas they had not yet been able to seize within the city.

There have also been fierce clashes in the districts along Street 20, in addition to the Al-Jazeera district where the detonation of an explosive device killed 4 security personnel and wounded 7 others. This has led the local government to advise security forces of a possible offensive by the gunmen to take control of the city.

In Fallujah, there have been heavy clashes and shelling in the areas along the main Baghdad - Fallujah highway. The clashes have also spread to Al-Garma. Security forces say the shelling has killed more than 20 gunmen in the southern and southwestern sectors of the city. The Fallujah General Hospital has announced that 3 citizens have been killed and 7 wounded by the ongoing fighting and indiscriminate shelling of a number of the city's districts.

Meanwhile, gunmen have blown up the Al-Saqlawiya Bridge that connects Fallujah with the way to Baghdad through Al-Saqlawiya township.

In Anbar's western regions, groups of gunmen are still controlling Al-Qa'im, Rawa, Ana, and Rutba, as well as some parts adjacent to Haditha where security forces have announced that they have reinforced their positions at the Haditha Dam to face a possible advance by the gunmen.