The International Organization for Migration estimates that some 85,000 people have fled Ramadi and surrounding areas since fresh fighting between militants and pro-government troops erupted in mid-May. The vast majority – about 85 per cent – remain in Anbar governorate. In total, more than 180,000 people are estimated to have been displaced from the Ramadi area since hostilities began in early April.
"Many people are still on the move and UNHCR, alongside others in the humanitarian community, is striving to locate them and provide life-saving assistance," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told journalists in Geneva. "Displaced civilians still face serious obstacles at various checkpoints out of Anbar into neighbouring provinces, as local authorities impose restrictions," he said, adding that Babylon and Kerbala governorates were closed to displaced people from Anbar.
The Bzebiz bridge, the main entry point from Anbar into Baghdad, was closed for four days at the start of this latest exodus from Ramadi, leaving many people stranded in soaring temperatures as they waited to have sponsorship arrangements processed. "While the bottleneck at the bridge has now eased, our monitoring teams report that the requirement for displaced people to have a local sponsor in Baghdad remains a concern," Spindler noted..........http://www.unhcr.org/55683c8e9.html
29/5/15
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What the U.S. Bombed Before Ramadi Fell...
ReplyDeleteIn the month before the city of Ramadi in western Iraq fell, U.S. air strikes destroyed an armored personnel carrier, three humvees, three tanks, four mortars, four gun-mounted pick up trucks and two vehicle bombs belonging to the Islamic State outside the city. On Friday, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Fickel, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, shared this data with me, adding that the U.S. also hit 25 "fighting positions" and 14 pieces of "miscellaneous equipment."
Fickel told me Centcom disputed aspects of my column on Thursday, which disclosed how U.S. intelligence agencies were able to observe the Islamic State's buildup of forces and equipment prior to the decisive battle, but the Pentagon "did not order airstrikes against the convoys before the battle started." (I spoke with Centcom before publishing that column, but was not given the information Fickel has since provided.)
Fickel said the data showed there were strikes on the Islamic State's "staging positions" prior to and during the battle, but he did not claim that convoys traveling on the open road to Ramadi were among the targets ahead of time. Nor did Fickel say what percentage of the overall equipment Islamic State forces brought to the battle was destroyed by U.S. air strikes............http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-29/what-the-u-s-bombed-before-ramadi-fell
30/5/15
Iraqi Forces Escalate anti-ISIL Campaign in Ramadi...
ReplyDeleteIraqi media outlets stated that the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces launched a major campaign against ISIL terrorists in Ramadi in Anbar province.
A source from the leadership of the Popular Mobilization Forces pointed out elite troops lead the campaign.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced that 20 ISIL terrorists were killed western Anbar in a complex intelligence operation.
almanar.com.lb
30/5/15