07 June 2014

At 06:30 this morning, gunmen attacked and seized the Anbar University building in southwestern Ramadi after fierce clashes that continued for several hours. Three university guards were killed at the main entrance to the university campus. The gunmen also blew up the bridge connecting the university with Ramadi city, causing severe structural damage. There were more than 1,000 students in the buildings during the six-hour battle; fortunately, this took place on a Saturday, when classes are limited at all of the university's colleges. College administration and teaching staff were able to open a gate in the campus' security fence, allowing all the students to reach the 5 km district. Up to this minute security forces are saying that some of the buildings are in the hands of the gunmen, but army and police forces have not resorted to shelling them. There are however intermittent clashes taking place, especially at the Political Science College building, as well as at the university's administration building. 
There was also an armed confrontation and the detonation of two car bombs driven by suicide bombers in the 'Ceramic' district that is adjacent to the Anbar University district. Security forces say that they have not recorded any deaths among the university students or the teaching staff. Security precautions are in place around the university's perimeter.

At dawn today, a security source in Haditha township in western Anbar announced that ISIL gunmen using more than 35 all-terrain vehicles and carrying medium and heavy weapons attempted an assault on Haditha from both its western and northeastern approaches, but they were met head-on by security forces that prevented them from entering the town.

In Fallujah, fierce clashes erupted today in the outlying districts of the city. A medical source at the Fallujah General Hospital has confirmed that 6 people, including 4 children were wounded by the shelling of the city.
The UN has announced that there are more than 5,000 families inside Fallujah who are unable to leave the city because of their lack of financial and other material resources.

The Anbar Governorate Council held a number of meetings and emergency conferences today to discuss the latest initiative proposed by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

In Samarra, 130 km from Anbar in Salahuddin governorate, life was almost normal today and the curfew has been lifted in most of the city. Observers say that activity within the city is normal. The final casualty count after the two days of fighting shows that 43 people were either killed or wounded in the fighting. 
An important issue is that the displaced Anbaris who sought refuge in Samarra over more than 4 months are now facing being displaced yet again, either to other Salahuddin townships or to western townships of Anbar. 

Samarra Military Command forces announced today that they have killed at least 22 suspected ISIL gunmen in various areas within Samarra, thus trying to avoid the recurrence of the gunmen's infiltration into the township. 
The local Samarra Council has stressed that it will do whatever it can to prevent such an eventuality, and promising the residents that it would reinforce its defensive capabilities to achieve that end. Samarra residents are dismayed by the burning down of most of the town's business and trading establishments, and by the fact that many businesses were looted. Local residents are saying that 7 people were killed by the SWAT forces that were sent in to the township, but security forces have, of course, denied that such an incident had taken place. Salahuddin Council is expected to launch an investigation into the incident, particularly as 7 bodies have indeed been found, 2 of whom are Anbari refugees, apparently shot to death.

06 June 2014

A curfew has been imposed on Ramadi as a precaution against the possibility of armed assaults similar to those that targeted Samarra in Salahuddin governorate yesterday. The same is true in Mosul in Nineveh governorate.

In Fallujah, intermittent clashes have been going on since last night and into this afternoon in a number of the city's districts, especially in Al-Sichir and Al-Nu'aimiya. A number of districts have also been shelled. An initial casualty count shows that 3 children under the sge of twelve have been killed.

There has been total support expressed at meetings held between the local Anbar government and tribal sheikhs and religious scholars for the conference called for by Nouri Al-Maliki to address and resolve the Anbar situation.

In Samarra today, a curfew is still in force because of concerns over a return of the gunmen to the city. The Air Force has reported that 82 sorties have killed at least 17 ISIL gunmen in the city.

In the northern region of Mosul in Nineveh governorate, military operations were underway today. Two car bombs were detonated in an area populated mainly by Shabak residents. The military action is aimed at regaining and imposing control over most of Mosul city, after the gunmen succeeded in taking over a number of the city's districts.

05 June 2014

The contagion in Anbar seems to have spread to Salahuddin governorate, and the only crossing that was available for Anbaris on their way to Baghdad has been closed in Samarra, one of biggest districts in Salahuddin, with a population of more than 500,000 inhabitants.

Since 04:00 a.m. today, more than 150 ISIL gunmen have been able to seize control of the eastern parts of Samarra - about 40% of the province. Army and police forces withdrew suddenly from the checkpoints in those areas. Some police and army vehicles were burned and an initial count shows that 55 people - mostly police and army personnel - have been killed or wounded in Samarra. A very large re-enforcement operation is underway to Samarra, and air raids have been launched against some of the groups of gunmen within the city. The security situation is in a state of confusion, while security forces have imposed a curfew on Samarra, as well as on several other districts in the governorate as a precautionary measure to prevent a security collapse such as that which took place in Samarra. Security forces are also stating that they will re-establish control within the next few hours.

In Fallujah, the civilian exodus is still underway and the city will soon be emptied of its civilian inhabitants. Dr. Ahmed Al-Shami, the senior resident at the Fallujah General Hospital, announced today that the shelling of Fallujah has since last night killed 8 residents and wounded 10 others, among them 4 women and 2 children.

An important development has been the shooting down of an aircraft ; it crashed in the Al-Sichir, northeast of Fallujah, according to eyewitness reports.

Some Ramadi areas are relatively calm and other areas are tense, with occasional widely-dispersed gunfire. We have observed the return of more than 6,000 residents to their homes in some of the districts of central and west-central Ramadi.

The conference called by Nouri Al-Maliki aimed at getting the displaced families home for the month of Ramadan is still being supported by some and rejected by others. Both the residents and the local government have rejected plans to build new residential districts to replace those that have been severely damaged; the districts are being described as historically important. They are also concerned that they will lose money by giving up their centrally located homes by being moved out into the city's outlying areas.

04 June 2014

Since the early hours of this morning, funeral processions have been underway for the 9 people who were killed in last night's explosions, among them Sheikh Muhammad Abu Risha, the leader of the Ramadi Awakenings (Sahwat).

After the blowing up and collapse of the Al-Ma'moun and 'Japanese' bridges, the Directorate-General of Bridge in Anbar announced that at least 30 of the 80 bridges in Anbar have now been blown up, and that repairs will take more than year and cost more than 5 billion Dinars.

Meanwhile, living conditions in Fallujah are still very difficult as a result of the military operations that have intensified over the past two days. Initial casualty figures today show that at least 20 people have been killed and at least 40 others have been wounded in the continuing indiscriminate shelling of the city's residential districts. The chief resident at the Fallujah General Hospital has stated that this is the 19th time that his facility has been hit by mortar fire. Five medical personnel were killed in the latest attack.

In Ramadi, families have been returning to their homes in the central Al-Jumhouri and Al-Shurta districts where the situation has been calm recently.

This is in contrast to the situation in Fallujah, where we have observed the departure of at least 100 families from the city's southern sector and from Al-Nu'aimiya, also to the south. 

03 June 2014

In Ramadi, since last night two bridges have been blown up: the first was the 'Japanese' bridge that connects Ramadi to the western Anbar townships. The second was the Al-Ma'amoun bridge that connects the town of Al-Hamidhiya to the Juwayda area of northeastern Ramadi. The two bridges are important arteries in northeastern Ramadi. There were no casualties in either location but both bridges were heavily damaged.

In Fallujah today, the emergency area at the Fallujah General Hospital was randomly shelled. At least 10 people were killed and 18 others were wounded in the crowded emergency section.

Meanwhile, the boarding facilities of Fallujah University's College of Agriculture were hit today by random gunfire. Nobody was hurt but there was panic among the students. Classes have been suspended at the university.

There have also been heavy clashes in various parts of Fallujah, especially in Al-Sichir and Al-Nu'aimiya, as well as some of the city's central residential districts.

To the northeast, Al-Garma is still the scene of fierce fighting as army forces supported by tribal and security forces attempted an incursion into the town but are being held by fierce resistance within the town.

02 June 2014

In Fallujah, as the military operations continue in the residential areas, the number of casualties has reached 22 killed, 12 of them children and 5 women, and 36 wounded.

The fierce clashes between the Iraqi security forces and insurgents continue also in Hayakil, Al-Sichir, Al-Jughayfi, Al-Askari, Al-Nazal and Al-Nu’aimiya.

In Ramadi, most of its areas previously under the control of insurgents is now under the control of the Iraqi security forces. The Anbar Police and the Anbar Operations Command confirm their belief that the situation in Ramadi will only improve.

Today, hundreds of the Anbar University students demonstrated to express their anger as their fellow female student Sama Laith had been shot dead by a stray bullet yesterday while doing her final exams in the classroom of the Faculty of Agriculture. The local security forces promised to investigate the crime.

01 June 2014

Public has been shocked by the killing of a female student in Ramadi University’s Faculty of Agriculture, in downtown Ramadi, when a stray bullet broke the window of a hall during final examinations and hit her in the neck. A male student has been injured in the shooting. It is believed the stray shots came from the Iraqi military that was operating in the area.

Relatively fierce clashes have continued in the southern parts of Ramadi city, especially in the Bakr and Hawz neighborhoods, in addition to parts of the area known as “Street 20” (Shari’ Ishrin) and the Mal’ab neighborhood.

Previously displaced due to the armed conflict, some families are now moving back to the relatively calmer neighborhoods of Jumhuri and Mu’allimin, in addition to the areas known as “Post Office Street” (Shari’ al-Barid) and “Depot Street” (Shari’ al-Mustawda’).

In Fallujah, fierce clashes continue in the area known as Hayakil, which is a compound of unfinished buildings in the property of Fallujah University. Iraqi forces has continued with intense air strikes and artillery shelling throughout the city. The toll has been 7 dead and 13 injured.

Some of the internally displaced people who have sought refuge in Hit city have demonstrated today for a solution to the Anbar crisis that has entered the sixth month. Situated in the calmer western parts of Anbar province, Hit city now accommodates some 70 thousand refugees, mainly from Fallujah city and its surroundings.