18 March 2015

Security forces have reported that dozens of ISIL gunmen were killed and that the road between Al-Sheeha Bridge in Garma and the 'Japanese' Bridge in eastern Ramadi has been liberated. The forces have also disarmed a number of booby-trapped vehicles and explosive devices. Iraqi aircraft are continuing their attacks on Garma and its surrounding areas.

In Ramadi, during the night and into the early hours of this morning numerous coalition warplanes have carried out sorties on the areas of the city's southern sector that are still under ISIL control, relying on a major intelligence gathering effort by security, police, and military intelligence units. Security forces are reporting that so far at least 120 have been killed in the strikes that have set back the gunmen's capabilities and activity in the area.

In Haditha, the leader of the Anbar Provincial Council, Sabah Karhout, announced today that 10 Haditha civilians have died of hunger; he holds the Trade Ministry responsible for the deaths because no relief aid has reached the town even after the liberation of the highway from Baghdadi and the Ayn al-Asad Base that is the destination of aid supplies. Meanwhile, the southwestern areas of Haditha are still under ISIL control.

In Baghdadi, fighting has been raging in the town's southwestern sector where ISIL gunmen are attempting to regain the ground they have recently lost in the areas across the river from the town.

In Fallujah, a general hospital source has reported that 2 residents have been killed and 11 wounded by the ongoing random bombardment exchanges between security forces on the city's perimeter and the gunmen holding the city.

In Amiriyat al-Fallujah, ISIL gunmen attempted yesterday an assault on the township's southwestern sector but fierce resistance by security forces thwarted the attack.

29 October 2014

ISIL has committed a massacre involving the execution of at least 50 tribesmen of the Bu-Nimr tribe that had been fighting for more than three weeks in the Zuwaya area to the west of Hit. The gunmen gathered 50 men of the police and Awakenings forces - who are reported to have announced their 'repentance' two days ago - at a roundabout in the Al-Bakr district in the western  sector of Hit township where everyone thought they would be released. But they were lined up and all 50 were summarily executed. The gunmen then evicted every family in the area where the victims had lived, and moved into the vacated houses. There was a mass migration today from Al-Bakr and Zuwaya with families making their way on foot towards Haditha township, more than 50-60 km away. The head of the Anbar Council, Sabah Karhout, has confirmed that 5 of the migrants died along the way, 4 children and an elderly woman. The local government and the Bu-Nimr tribe are expected to announce in the next two days a major operation to avenge the victims of today's mass execution.

In Fallujah, there are reports that at least 21 civilians have been killed or wounded as a result of fresh clashes and the renewed bombardment exchanges between the ISIL gunmen and the security forces.

In Garma, coalition warplanes have carried out airstrikes; an Anbar Operations source has reported that at least 14 gunmen have been killed and a number of their vehicles have been destroyed.

In Baghdadi, gunmen today launched an attack - the fifth in less than 10 days - aimed at seizing control of the town, but security forces at the Ayn Al-Asad military base provided support for the tribal fighters within the town in resisting the attack. Meanwhile, at least 70% - 80% of the town's residents have abandoned their homes, fleeing the exchanges of fire around them.

In Haditha today, there were some low-level military operations, with security forces setting up checkpoints around the town. Haditha is to be the training center for the 30,000 volunteers whose recruitment has been authorized by the Prime Minister.

18 October 2014

In Ramadi, gunmen have attacked a number of the city's districts; fierce clashes broke out in the areas that were controlled by security forces, with the gunmen trying to re-take those districts. The Anbar Operations Command and the Police Command announced today that they have taken control of the rural area across the Euphrates. However, the surrounding areas are still under the gunmen's control.

Hit has also been the scene of intermittent clashes in the town's southwestern sector, when gunmen tried to move into the areas along the Euphrates  that are still controlled by tribal forces.

In Baghdadi, the armed groups are still surrounding the township that is home to the Ayn Al-Asad Military Base. The head of the township's municipality has again warned of an impending humanitarian disaster in the next few days, as a result of the gunmen's blockade on all food and fuel supplies. Making matters worse is the presence in the township of more than 4,000 displaced families.

In Fallujah, some of the city's residential districts have been under bombardment. The General Hospital has announced that 4 residents have been killed and 7 wounded.

In Garma, there have been clashes and mortar fire in some of the town's districts, particularly in those adjacent to northern Fallujah.   

The appointment of an Anbar Police Commander is still awaiting the Interior Ministry's decision to appoint Gen. Kadhum Al-Fahdawi, a military man with the former regime. He has stipulated that his appointment would be contingent upon the arrival of military equipment and munitions to the security forces in Anbar, particularly the Police.

The head of the Anbar Council, Sabah Karhoot, has warned against the infiltration of gunmen into Iraq from across the Syrian border. He called on coalition forces to secure the border areas between the two countries.

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.

15 May 2014

The security situation in Anbar is still escalated, particularly in Fallujah where military operations are continuing for the fifth day in succession. Fierce clashes have raged in a number of the city's districts, with initial reports indicating that 4 residents have been killed and 6 others wounded by the indiscriminate shelling on numerous residential districts. There were also battles in the city's northern sector Al-Sichir district, and in Al-Nu'aimiya, but as of this hour the security forces have not been able to enter or penetrate the city. Some sources are saying that the gunmen within the city are putting up fierce resistance, which is the way the situation has been over the past five days. There was also fighting in the city's western Al-Saqlawiya region. The Anbar Operations Command has announced that 4 gunmen have been killed in the fighting and shelling. Similar military action is also underway in Al-Garma, northeast of Fallujah.

On the political front, the Anbar Governorate Council leader, Sabah Karhout, has announced Council plans to convene a general national conference; Nouri Al-Maliki, Masoud Barzani, Ammar Al-Hakim, and Muqtada Al-Sadr have been called upon to attend the conference which will probably take place in Baghdad. Both sides in the Anbar crisis have also been called upon to attend. Dr. Sheikh Abdul-Malik Al-Sa'adi, the Mufti of Iraq and Anbar, is expected to approve of the conference. The Anbar Council has announced his acceptance of his invitation. The conference is expected to table all the parties' points of view for discussion, in an effort at playing a part in the return of the displaced families - comprising more than 700,000 people within and outside Anbar - to return to their homes from the difficult conditions they are now experiencing.

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.

8 May 2014

In Fallujah late last night, incursions into the city were attempted on two fronts: one from the Al-Sichir area, and the other from Fallahat to the west of the city. The assaults were confronted by fierce resistance by the gunmen. There was also indiscriminate shelling lasting many hours targeted at a number of residential districts. Initial estimates indicate that 7 people were killed and 17 others were wounded in the shelling.

In Al-Garma northeast of Fallujah there were extremely violent clashes and a long period of random shelling on a number of the town's districts.

In Ramadi, a number of residential districts have been relatively calm, but clashes broke out late last night in the Al-Jumhuri district and the districts along Al-Mustawda'a Street; 4 people were killed and 5 were wounded, mostly civilians, during the clashes.

With regard to the flooding, the Anbar Governorate Council leader, Sabah Karhout, announced that a number of small dams and barrages have been re-opened and this has resulted in lowering the Euphrates water levels and the restoration of quasi-normal conditions in the areas that had been under water.

Regarding the elections, the various political entities have been calling for the conclusion of vote counting within the official time-frame, particularly in the case of the Anbar ballot boxes that were - for the first time - not counted in Anbar but were removed to Baghdad. There is concern about the absence of transparency and about the delay's possible resulting in forgery and vote-rigging. However, everyone is awaiting the announcement of the results within the next few days, so that the governorate can go ahead with changing its political map, if new faces emerge on the scene.

2 May 2014

Everybody, especially the political blocs and parties, was surprised by the transport of the Anbar ballot boxes to the Baghdad International Fair (being used as the national balloting center). The boxes were collected at the Ayn Al-Asad military base in Al-Baghdadi (between Hit and Haditha) and then transported by air to Baghdad. This first-time-ever step has surprised and angered the participating political entities; they fear that this will facilitate the manipulation of the results, in the absence of observers and representatives of the parties and blocs, and has cast a shadow over the political scene in Anbar where everyone is awaiting the results, regardless of whatever is happening behind the scenes.

There were clashes and heavy shelling today in Fallujah and Al-Garma. Fallujah has been shelled by artillery fire and air strikes which has been broadened to include most of the city's residential districts. A casualty estimate announced a short time ago indicates one person being killed and 10 others, mainly women and children, were injured.

In Al-Garma, there were violent clashes and heavy shelling in a number of the town's districts. There have been some civilian casualties, but the violent military action is still underway as of this afternoon (Friday).

Meanwhile, official Anbar sources have stated today that there are secret negotiations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, between the leadership of the Military Council of Anbar Revolutionaries and high-level representatives of the central government. Sabah Karhout, the leader of the Anbar Governorate Council, said in a press release that the next few days might produce a way out of the crisis, and the return of displaced families to their homes.

Water levels of the Euphrates River have risen and the flooding has inundated vast tracts of agricultural fields in and around the township of Abu Ghraib and the western outskirts of Baghdad. We have learned that the Governor of Baghdad, Ali Al-Timimi has stated that the flooding is beyond the control of the local government. He has called on the relevant ministries to provide a solution, given the spread of the flooding toward the capital.