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On 8 January, an unnamed Iraq police captain confirmed that an overnight offensive by security forces and tribal fighters aimed at dislodging ISIL from south Ramadi was repulsed by the insurgents after seven hours of heavy fighting.<ref>{{cite news|title= ISIL calls on Iraq Sunnis to keep fighting|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/isil-calls-iraq-sunnis-keep-fighting-2014186554213170.html|publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> On 9 January, Iraqi security forces, backed by tanks, engaged in heavy fighting with ISIS militants in the Albubali area, between Ramadi and Fallujah.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heavy clashes as Iraq fighting sparks rights worries|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-09/243565-heavy-clashes-as-iraq-fighting-sparks-rights-worries.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=9 January 2014|accessdate=9 January 2014}}</ref> On 10 January, clashes erupted between Iraqi special forces and ISIL in al-Bubali village between Fallujah and Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title= Fighters clash with Iraqi forces in Anbar |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/fighters-clash-with-iraqi-forces-anbar-2014110143456424894.html |publisher=Al Jazeera|date=10 January 2014}}</ref> On the same day, tribesmen and police retook two areas of Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribes, police seize parts of Iraq city from militants|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-10/243724-tribes-police-retake-parts-of-iraqs-ramadi-commander.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=10 January 2014}}</ref> On 14 January, Sunni fighters, including ISIS, overran several more areas of Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sunni gunmen seize more turf in Iraq's Ramadi: police|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-14/244019-sunni-gunmen-seize-more-turf-in-iraqs-ramadi-police.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=14 January 2014}}</ref> On 16 January, the Iraqi army, backed by Sunni tribesmen, managed to retake the city of [[Saqlawiyah]] in a counterattack against ISIS.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraqi forces retake western town from militants|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/16/345872/iraq-forces-retake-western-town/ |publisher=Press TV|date=16 January 2014}}</ref>
On 8 January, an unnamed Iraq police captain confirmed that an overnight offensive by security forces and tribal fighters aimed at dislodging ISIL from south Ramadi was repulsed by the insurgents after seven hours of heavy fighting.<ref>{{cite news|title= ISIL calls on Iraq Sunnis to keep fighting|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/isil-calls-iraq-sunnis-keep-fighting-2014186554213170.html|publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> On 9 January, Iraqi security forces, backed by tanks, engaged in heavy fighting with ISIS militants in the Albubali area, between Ramadi and Fallujah.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heavy clashes as Iraq fighting sparks rights worries|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-09/243565-heavy-clashes-as-iraq-fighting-sparks-rights-worries.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=9 January 2014|accessdate=9 January 2014}}</ref> On 10 January, clashes erupted between Iraqi special forces and ISIL in al-Bubali village between Fallujah and Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title= Fighters clash with Iraqi forces in Anbar |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/fighters-clash-with-iraqi-forces-anbar-2014110143456424894.html |publisher=Al Jazeera|date=10 January 2014}}</ref> On the same day, tribesmen and police retook two areas of Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribes, police seize parts of Iraq city from militants|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-10/243724-tribes-police-retake-parts-of-iraqs-ramadi-commander.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=10 January 2014}}</ref> On 14 January, Sunni fighters, including ISIS, overran several more areas of Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sunni gunmen seize more turf in Iraq's Ramadi: police|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-14/244019-sunni-gunmen-seize-more-turf-in-iraqs-ramadi-police.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=14 January 2014}}</ref> On 16 January, the Iraqi army, backed by Sunni tribesmen, managed to retake the city of [[Saqlawiyah]] in a counterattack against ISIS.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraqi forces retake western town from militants|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/16/345872/iraq-forces-retake-western-town/ |publisher=Press TV|date=16 January 2014}}</ref>
On 17 January, the ISIS militants in Fallujah called on people to join them in their fight against the government, but earlier in the day, Iraqi media reported that security forces had retaken several key areas of Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Militants call on Fallujah people to join fight|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/17/346052/militants-call-on-people-to-join-fight/ |publisher=Press TV|date=17 January 2014}}</ref>
On 17 January, the ISIS militants in Fallujah called on people to join them in their fight against the government, but earlier in the day, Iraqi media reported that security forces had retaken several key areas of Ramadi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Militants call on Fallujah people to join fight|url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/17/346052/militants-call-on-people-to-join-fight/ |publisher=Press TV|date=17 January 2014}}</ref>
On 19 January, the Iraqi army launched a major operation Sunday on the crisis-hit city of Ramadi, swathes of which have for weeks been controlled by anti-government fighters.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraqi army launches operation in Ramadi: officials|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-19/244519-iraqi-army-launches-operation-in-ramadi-officials.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=19 January 2014}}</ref> The advance was halted after 8 police and tribal militia members were killed in clashes.<ref>{{cite news|title=8 Iraqi police and tribesmen killed fighting Al Qaeda|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/19/iraq-violence-idINDEEA0I08U20140119|date=19 January 2014|publisher=Reuters}}</ref>
On 19 January, the Iraqi army launched a major operation Sunday on the crisis-hit city of Ramadi, swathes of which have for weeks been controlled by anti-government fighters.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraqi army launches operation in Ramadi: officials|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-19/244519-iraqi-army-launches-operation-in-ramadi-officials.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=19 January 2014}}</ref> The advance was halted after 8 police and tribal militia members were killed in clashes.<ref>{{cite news|title=8 Iraqi police and tribesmen killed fighting Al Qaeda|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/19/iraq-violence-idINDEEA0I08U20140119|date=19 January 2014|publisher=Reuters}}</ref> On 20 January, a senior Iraqi official claims ISIS fighters hunkered down in a city they seized late last month west of [[Baghdad]] have enough heavy weapons to allegedly take the country's capital.<ref>{{cite news|title=Official: Al-Qaeda has enough arms to take Baghdad |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-20/244642-official-al-qaeda-has-enough-arms-to-take-baghdad.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=20 January 2014}}</ref>



==Response==
==Response==

Revision as of 12:35, 20 January 2014

This article is about the current fighting in Anbar province. For the fighting during the Iraq War, see Iraq War in Anbar Province.

Anbar clashes
Part of Iraqi insurgency

Map showing current situation in Anbar.
Date30 December 2013[8] – present
(10 years, 10 months, 2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq
Result

Ongoing

Belligerents

 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL)
JRTN[1]
Military Council of Anbar's Revolutionaries[2]

Supported by:

Iraq Government of Iraq

Supported by:

Commanders and leaders
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Iraq Jalal Talabani
Iraq Nouri al-Maliki
Iraq Saadoun al-Dulaimi
Iraq Ali Ghaidan Majid
Iraq Babaker Shawkat B. Zebari[original research?]

Iraq Ahmed Abu Risha[original research?]
Casualties and losses
222–288 killed[19] 76 killed[20]
79 civilians killed[21][22][23][24]

Clashes in western Iraq began on 30 December 2013 when Iraqi security forces cleared up a Sunni protest camp in Ramadi. Tribal militias battled against the Iraqi Army. After the Iraqi Army withdrew from Anbar province to cool the situation on 31 December, militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) occupied parts of the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, in the predominantly Sunni Al Anbar governorate, declaring them to be an independent state: the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Following the arrival of ISIL, most tribal militias in Ramadi allied themselves with government forces to counter them.

Background

Further information: Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)

Clashes broke out in the Ramadi area on 30 December 2013 as security forces tore down what is considered a main Sunni Arab anti-government site, and continued for two more days. On 1 January 2014, militants in the city sporadically clashed with security forces and torched four police stations, but the clashes had subsided by the next day. The violence also then spread to Fallujah, where police abandoned most of their positions and militants burned some police stations.

Clashes

On 30 December 2013, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that Iraqi Army soldiers would depart restive cities in Anbar province, but reversed that decision the following day. Army forces, as of 2 January, remained outside Ramadi.[25] On 3 January, al-Qaeda-linked militants advanced into gained ground and took over several police stations in Fallujah. In early morning, tribal and ISIL fighters advanced into areas in central Ramadi and deployed snipers on one street, a police captain said. A police colonel said the army had re-entered into areas of Fallujah, between Ramadi and Baghdad, but that around a quarter of it remained under ISIL and tribal control. Soldiers and pro-government armed tribesmen held the rest and had also surrounded the city.[citation needed] However, another senior officer, a police lieutenant colonel, said that while soldiers had been deployed around the city, they had yet to enter Fallujah.[26][27] Earlier in the day, more than 100 people were killed as Iraqi police and tribesmen battled militants who took over parts of two cities on Anbar province.[28]

On 4 January, the Iraqi government lost control of Fallujah to ISIL.[29] The Iraqi Army also shelled Fallujah with mortars to try to wrest back control from the militants and tribesmen, killing at least eight people, according to unnamed tribal leaders and officials. Unnamed medical sources in Fallujah said another 30 people were wounded in the shelling.[30] On 6 January, Iraqi security forces, backed by tribal fighters, regained control of the centre of Ramadi. However, clashes continued in the surrounding areas the next day, while in the city centre, government offices, hospitals and markets reopened.[31] On 7 January, Iraqi missile strikes on Ramadi killed 25 militants.[32] On the same day, unidentified gunmen also killed seven police officers, including a captain, in an attack at a security checkpoint on a highway north of the city of Samarra. Though no group claimed responsibility for the attack, police officials suspected the ISIL militants.[33] As of 8 January, in addition to Fallujah, ISIS had control of the Anbar cities of Al-Karmah[12] Hīt, Khaldiyah,[13] Haditha, Al Qaim[14] and parts of Ramadi[15] and Abu Ghraib.,[16] along with numerous smaller settlements in Anbar[17]

On 8 January, an unnamed Iraq police captain confirmed that an overnight offensive by security forces and tribal fighters aimed at dislodging ISIL from south Ramadi was repulsed by the insurgents after seven hours of heavy fighting.[34] On 9 January, Iraqi security forces, backed by tanks, engaged in heavy fighting with ISIS militants in the Albubali area, between Ramadi and Fallujah.[35] On 10 January, clashes erupted between Iraqi special forces and ISIL in al-Bubali village between Fallujah and Ramadi.[36] On the same day, tribesmen and police retook two areas of Ramadi.[37] On 14 January, Sunni fighters, including ISIS, overran several more areas of Ramadi.[38] On 16 January, the Iraqi army, backed by Sunni tribesmen, managed to retake the city of Saqlawiyah in a counterattack against ISIS.[39] On 17 January, the ISIS militants in Fallujah called on people to join them in their fight against the government, but earlier in the day, Iraqi media reported that security forces had retaken several key areas of Ramadi.[40] On 19 January, the Iraqi army launched a major operation Sunday on the crisis-hit city of Ramadi, swathes of which have for weeks been controlled by anti-government fighters.[41] The advance was halted after 8 police and tribal militia members were killed in clashes.[42] On 20 January, a senior Iraqi official claims ISIS fighters hunkered down in a city they seized late last month west of Baghdad have enough heavy weapons to allegedly take the country's capital.[43]

Response

The U.S. also confirmed that to assist with the fight against groups in this area, they are speeding up supply of equipment to Iraq, including Hellfire missiles, ScanEagle UAVs, and Raven UAVs.[44] Iran also offered support.

References

  1. ^ "L'ouest irakien dans le chaos Western Iraq fall into chaos". The Arab Chronicle. 6 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "استنفار بمدن عراقية واستمرار المعارك بالأنبار". Al Jazeera. 5 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Slain ISIL commander, Saudi agent met in Iraq's al-Anbar". Press TV. 12 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Al-Qaeda seeks some Iraqi tribes help: Pundit". Press TV. 17 January 2014.
  5. ^ Thomas Erdbrink (7 January 2014). "Iran Offers Military Aid, but Not Troops, to Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Iran supports Iraq in fights against terrorism: spokeswoman". Global Times. 7 January 2014.
  7. ^ Suadad Al-Salhy (6 January 2013). "Insight: Fuelled by Syria war, al Qaeda bursts back to life in Iraq". Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  8. ^ "IraqUpdate #41: Showdown in Anbar". ISW. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. ^ Dr. Theodore Karasik (14 January 2014). "Iraq's Anbar: is religion trumping tribe?". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Al Qaeda-linked militants capture Fallujah during violent outbreak". Fox News Channel. 4 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Iraq's Fallujah falls to Qaeda militants as 65 killed". 7 News. 5 January 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Qaeda-Linked Militants in Iraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Iraq Update #41: Showdown in Anbar". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Al Qaeda, tribal allies 'control' Fallujah". Long War Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Iraq PM urges people of Fallujah to expel Al-Qaeda". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Iraq Update #42: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Patrols Fallujah; Aims for Ramadi, Mosul, Baghdad". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  17. ^ a b "Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  18. ^ "Iraqi forces retake western town from militants". Press TV. 16 January 2014.
  19. ^ 35 killed (30 December – 2 January),[1] 71 [2]–137 [3][4] killed (3 January), 55 killed (4 January),[5] 36 killed (5 January),[6][7] 25 killed (7 January),[8] total of 222–288 reported killed
  20. ^ 42 killed (30 December – 2 January),[9] 2 killed (3 January),[10] 10 killed (4 January),[11] 22 killed (5 January),[12] total of 76 reported killed
  21. ^ "Al-Qaeda-linked militants threaten to seize two key Iraq cities". The Dallas Morning News. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  22. ^ "More than 100 die as Iraq forces battle Al Qaida". Gulf News. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  23. ^ "Fighting between Iraqi troops, al-Qaida kills 34". The Daily Star. Lebanon. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Fallujah assault delayed as 29 killed". The Australian. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  25. ^ "Qaeda-linked fighters control parts of two Iraq cities". The Daily Star. 2 January 2014.
  26. ^ "Militants make gains in Iraq city: police". Al Akhbar. 3 January 2014.
  27. ^ "Al-Qaeda militants make gains in Iraq city: police". The Daily Star. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  28. ^ "More than 100 die as Iraq battles Al-Qaeda". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014.
  29. ^ "Fallujah outside Iraq government control: security official". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014.
  30. ^ "Iraq army shells Falluja to dislodge Qaeda, tribes". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  31. ^ "Iraq moves up tanks, guns for looming Falluja assault". Reuters. 7 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Iraq missile strikes kill 25 militants: ministry". The Daily Star. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  33. ^ "Gunmen kill 7 Iraqi policemen in checkpoint attack". Press TV. 7 January 2014.
  34. ^ "ISIL calls on Iraq Sunnis to keep fighting". Al Jazeera.
  35. ^ "Heavy clashes as Iraq fighting sparks rights worries". The Daily Star. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  36. ^ "Fighters clash with Iraqi forces in Anbar". Al Jazeera. 10 January 2014.
  37. ^ "Tribes, police seize parts of Iraq city from militants". The Daily Star. 10 January 2014.
  38. ^ "Sunni gunmen seize more turf in Iraq's Ramadi: police". The Daily Star. 14 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Iraqi forces retake western town from militants". Press TV. 16 January 2014.
  40. ^ "Militants call on Fallujah people to join fight". Press TV. 17 January 2014.
  41. ^ "Iraqi army launches operation in Ramadi: officials". The Daily Star. 19 January 2014.
  42. ^ "8 Iraqi police and tribesmen killed fighting Al Qaeda". Reuters. 19 January 2014.
  43. ^ "Official: Al-Qaeda has enough arms to take Baghdad". The Daily Star. 20 January 2014.
  44. ^ "Iraq violence: US speeds up supply of military equipment". BBC News. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
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