Not possible for Iraqi forces to attack Fallujah now - ministry
7 January 2014, 16:08
It is not currently possible for Iraqi security forces to storm the city of Fallujah, which was lost to militants last week, the defence ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
Overnight, security forces failed to recapture south Ramadi from Al-Qaeda-linked militants, while Washington said it would expedite delivery of missiles and surveillance drones to help combat resurgent Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Parts of Ramadi and all of Fallujah were lost by government forces last week. This is the first time militants have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the 2003 US-led invasion.
'It is not possible to assault it (Fallujah) now' due to concerns about civilian casualties, defence ministry spokesman Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Askari told AFP.
In Ramadi, farther west, fighters loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were still holding the south of the city, after fighting off the overnight assault, police said.
'Security forces and armed tribesmen tried last night to enter areas controlled by ISIL fighters in the south of the city,' a police captain in Ramadi told AFP.
'Clashes between the two sides began about 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) last night and continued until 6:00 am,' he said, adding that 'security forces were not able to enter these areas and ISIL fighters are still in control.'
Four civilians were killed and 14 wounded in the fighting, said Ramadi hospital's Dr Ahmed Abdul Salam, who had no casualty figures for security forces or the militants.
Meanwhile, three loud explosions were heard outside Fallujah early Tuesday, a witness said, as the army remained in positions outside the city.
'Today, the army sent new reinforcements, including tanks and vehicles, to an area about 15 kilometres (10 miles) east of Fallujah,' a police captain told AFP.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called for residents to expel ISIL militants and avoid an attack. But senior tribal leader Sheikh Ali al-Hammad told AFP Monday that ISIL's fighters had left Fallujah, and that it was now in the hands of tribesmen.
Iraq is preparing a 'major attack' to retake militant-held Fallujah, a senior official said on Sunday, spelling a new assault for the western city where US forces repeatedly battled insurgents. Washington said it would help Baghdad in its battle against al-Qaeda-linked militants but that there would be no return of US troops.
The takeover of Fallujah and parts of provincial capital Ramadi farther west is the first time that militants have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the bloody insurgency that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.
'Iraqi forces are preparing for a major attack in Fallujah,' a senior Iraqi official told AFP.
Special forces have already conducted operations inside the city, the official said.
The regular army has paused on the edge of the city to allow residents time to leave, awaiting orders to launch 'the attack to crush the terrorists'.
Voice of Russia, AFP
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