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On 4 January, the Iraqi government lost control of Fallujah to ISIL.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fallujah outside Iraq government control: security official|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-04/243100-fallujah-outside-iraq-government-control-security-official.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=4 January 2014}}</ref> The Iraqi Army also shelled Fallujah with [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq army shells Falluja to dislodge Qaeda, tribes|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-04/243100-fallujah-outside-iraq-government-control-security-official.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=4 January 2014|accessdate=4 January 2014}}</ref>
On 4 January, the Iraqi government lost control of Fallujah to ISIL.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fallujah outside Iraq government control: security official|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-04/243100-fallujah-outside-iraq-government-control-security-official.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=4 January 2014}}</ref> The Iraqi Army also shelled Fallujah with [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq army shells Falluja to dislodge Qaeda, tribes|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-04/243100-fallujah-outside-iraq-government-control-security-official.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=4 January 2014|accessdate=4 January 2014}}</ref>


On 7 January, Iraqi missile strikes on [[Ramadi]] killed 25 militants.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq missile strikes kill 25 militants: ministry|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-07/243326-iraq-missile-strikes-kill-25-militants-ministry.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=7 January 2014|accessdate=7 January 2014}}</ref> As of 8 January, in addition to Fallujah, ISIS had control of the Anbar cities of [[Al-Karmah]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Qaeda-Linked Militants in Iraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/world/middleeast/shelling-in-iraqi-city-held-by-qaeda-linked-militants-kills-at-least-8.html?_r=0|accessdate=5 January 2014|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> [[Hīt]], [[Khaldiyah]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq Update #41: Showdown in Anbar|url=http://iswiraq.blogspot.com/2014/01/showdown-in-anbar.html|accessdate=3 January 2014|newspaper=Institute for the Study of War}}</ref> and parts of [[Ramadi]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq PM urges people of Fallujah to expel Al-Qaeda|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-06/243237-iraq-pm-urges-fallujah-residents-tribes-to-expel-militants-tv.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|accessdate=6 January 2014|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> and [[Abu Ghraib]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq Update #42: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Patrols Fallujah; Aims for Ramadi, Mosul, Baghdad|url=http://iswiraq.blogspot.com/2014/01/iraq-update-42-al-qaeda-in-iraq-patrols.html|accessdate=5 January 2014|newspaper=Institute for the Study of War}}</ref>, along with numerous smaller settlements in Anbar<ref>{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-iraq-violence-al-qaeda-idUSBRE9BA0O820131211|accessdate=11 December 2013|newspaper=Reuters}}</ref>
On 7 January, Iraqi missile strikes on [[Ramadi]] killed 25 militants.<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq missile strikes kill 25 militants: ministry|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-07/243326-iraq-missile-strikes-kill-25-militants-ministry.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=7 January 2014|accessdate=7 January 2014}}</ref> Also in same day, unidentified gunmen have killed seven police officers, including a captain, in an attack at a security checkpoint north of the Iraqi capital [[Baghdad]], according to security and hospital sources. The deadly incident took place on Tuesday on a highway north of the city of [[Samarra]], the sources said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police officials say the main suspects are militants linked to [[al-Qaeda]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Gunmen kill 7 Iraqi policemen in checkpoint attack |url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/07/344323/gunmen-kill-7-iraqi-policemen/|date=7 January 2014|newspaper=Press TV}}</ref> As of 8 January, in addition to Fallujah, ISIS had control of the Anbar cities of [[Al-Karmah]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Qaeda-Linked Militants in Iraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/world/middleeast/shelling-in-iraqi-city-held-by-qaeda-linked-militants-kills-at-least-8.html?_r=0|accessdate=5 January 2014|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> [[Hīt]], [[Khaldiyah]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq Update #41: Showdown in Anbar|url=http://iswiraq.blogspot.com/2014/01/showdown-in-anbar.html|accessdate=3 January 2014|newspaper=Institute for the Study of War}}</ref> and parts of [[Ramadi]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq PM urges people of Fallujah to expel Al-Qaeda|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-06/243237-iraq-pm-urges-fallujah-residents-tribes-to-expel-militants-tv.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|accessdate=6 January 2014|newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> and [[Abu Ghraib]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Iraq Update #42: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Patrols Fallujah; Aims for Ramadi, Mosul, Baghdad|url=http://iswiraq.blogspot.com/2014/01/iraq-update-42-al-qaeda-in-iraq-patrols.html|accessdate=5 January 2014|newspaper=Institute for the Study of War}}</ref>, along with numerous smaller settlements in Anbar<ref>{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-iraq-violence-al-qaeda-idUSBRE9BA0O820131211|accessdate=11 December 2013|newspaper=Reuters}}</ref>


==Response==
==Response==

Revision as of 11:09, 8 January 2014

Anbar clashes
Part of Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)

Anbar Province
Date30 December 2013[4] – present
(10 years, 5 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Result

Ongoing

Belligerents

 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL)

Military Council of Anbar's Revolutionaries[1]

Iraq Government of Iraq

Supported by:

Commanders and leaders
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

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

Iraq Ahmed Abu Risha[original research?]
Casualties and losses
222–288 killed[12] 76 killed[13]
79 civilians killed[14][15][16][17]

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. Following the arrival of ISIL, most tribal militias allied themselves with government forces to counter them.

Background

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.[18]

On 3 January, al-Qaeda-linked militants advanced into gained ground and took over several police stations in Fallujah. In early morning, 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 control. Soldiers and 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.[19][20] 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.[21]

On 4 January, the Iraqi government lost control of Fallujah to ISIL.[22] 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.[23]

On 7 January, Iraqi missile strikes on Ramadi killed 25 militants.[24] Also in same day, unidentified gunmen have killed seven police officers, including a captain, in an attack at a security checkpoint north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to security and hospital sources. The deadly incident took place on Tuesday on a highway north of the city of Samarra, the sources said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police officials say the main suspects are militants linked to al-Qaeda.[25] As of 8 January, in addition to Fallujah, ISIS had control of the Anbar cities of Al-Karmah[26] Hīt, Khaldiyah[27] and parts of Ramadi[28] and Abu Ghraib.[29], along with numerous smaller settlements in Anbar[30]

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.[31] Gunmen also attacked a police checkpoint on the highway north of the city of Samarra, killing seven security force personnel, among them a captain.[32] Iran also offered support.

References

  1. ^ "استنفار بمدن عراقية واستمرار المعارك بالأنبار". Al Jazeera. 5 January 2014.
  2. ^ Thomas Erdbrink (6 January 2014). "Iran Offers Military Aid, but Not Troops, to Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2014. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Suadad Al-Salhy (6 January 2013). "Insight: Fuelled by Syria war, al Qaeda bursts back to life in Iraq". Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  4. ^ "IraqUpdate #41: Showdown in Anbar". ISW. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Al Qaeda-linked militants capture Fallujah during violent outbreak". FOX News. 4 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Iraq's Fallujah falls to Qaeda militants as 65 killed". 7 News. 5 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Qaeda-Linked Militants in Iraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja". New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  8. ^ "Iraq Update #41: Showdown in Anbar". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Iraq PM urges people of Fallujah to expel Al-Qaeda". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Iraq Update #42: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Patrols Fallujah; Aims for Ramadi, Mosul, Baghdad". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  12. ^ 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
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ Al-Qaeda-linked militants threaten to seize two key Iraq cities
  15. ^ More than 100 die as Iraq forces battle Al Qaida
  16. ^ Fighting between Iraqi troops, al-Qaida kills 34
  17. ^ Fallujah assault delayed as 29 killed
  18. ^ "Qaeda-linked fighters control parts of two Iraq cities". The Daily Star. 2 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Militants make gains in Iraq city: police". Al Akhbar. 3 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Al-Qaeda militants make gains in Iraq city: police". The Daily Star. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  21. ^ "More than 100 die as Iraq battles Al-Qaeda". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Fallujah outside Iraq government control: security official". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014.
  23. ^ "Iraq army shells Falluja to dislodge Qaeda, tribes". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Iraq missile strikes kill 25 militants: ministry". The Daily Star. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  25. ^ "Gunmen kill 7 Iraqi policemen in checkpoint attack". Press TV. 7 January 2014.
  26. ^ "Qaeda-Linked Militants in Iraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja". New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  27. ^ "Iraq Update #41: Showdown in Anbar". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  28. ^ "Iraq PM urges people of Fallujah to expel Al-Qaeda". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  29. ^ "Iraq Update #42: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Patrols Fallujah; Aims for Ramadi, Mosul, Baghdad". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  30. ^ "Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  31. ^ "Iraq violence: US speeds up supply of military equipment". BBC News. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Gunmen kill 7 police in attack on Iraq checkpoint: officer". The Daily Star. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.