Iraqis Make Gains Against Militants in Key City

Associated Press

Gunmen patrolled after clashes in Falluja on Sunday. Qaeda-linked militants appear to maintain control of much of the city.

By YASIR GHAZI and TIM ARANGO

Published: January 5, 2014

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BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces and their tribal allies made gains in heavy fighting on Sunday in Ramadi, reclaiming parts of the city from Sunni militants aligned with Al Qaeda, security officials and tribal leaders said.

Related

• Qaeda-Linked Militants in Iraq Secure Nearly Full Control of Falluja (January 5, 2014)

• Power Vacuum in Middle East Lifts Militants (January 5, 2014)

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But the insurgents appeared to maintain control of much of Falluja, another important city in Anbar Province, and had the upper hand in fighting on its outskirts. The government’s efforts to retake Falluja were set back by the apparent defection of some tribal militias, who are now siding with the Qaeda-linked militants, according to officials.

The fight in Falluja is complicated by the widespread disenchantment of Sunnis in Iraq toward the policies of the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. Some armed tribesmen with little sympathy for Al Qaeda and its desire to set up a Sunni Islamic state in Iraq have now apparently decided that the government is their greater enemy.

Shifting and unclear alliances among the fighting groups in Falluja have made the situation there more uncertain at a moment when security officials in Baghdad have promised a decisive campaign to clear the province of insurgents. Many of the militants in Anbar are members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, a Qaeda-affiliated group that is also among the fiercest combatants in the Syrian civil war.

The Qaeda-linked fighters “are the most dangerous players in the region,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday at a news conference in Jerusalem.

He said the United States had been in contact with Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar and with the Iraqi government, and would “do everything that is possible to help them.” But he added: “We’re not contemplating putting boots on the ground. This is their fight, but we’re going to help them in their fight.”

American forces in Iraq had success against Al Qaeda in 2006 and 2007 by allying with the Sunni tribes, and American officials have been encouraging the Maliki government and the tribes to join forces. But the government has had fraught relations with the Sunni population in Anbar in recent years, though it sent $18 million last week to support the tribes, an American official said.

The fighting in Ramadi on Sunday left dozens of militants dead, according to a police official in Anbar. Other officials said that 18 civilians were killed in fighting across the province and that 32 others were wounded.

There was also bloodshed in other parts of Iraq far from Anbar. Several explosions struck neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, officials said. The deadliest episode was a coordinated attack that struck cafes and restaurants in Shaab, a neighborhood in north Baghdad, killing 11 people and wounding nearly 30 others.

Six truck drivers were killed in Diyala Province on Saturday night when they were stopped at an illegal checkpoint staffed by militants dressed in military uniforms, which are easily bought in shops in Baghdad and are commonly used by insurgents.

The Iraqi military mounted several airstrikes on Sunday, including one against a military base occupied by militants in Karma, a town between Ramadi and Falluja. An Iraqi state television channel said 35 militants were killed in that strike.

Violence has steadily increased in Iraq over the two years since American troops left the country. More than 8,000 Iraqis were killed last year, according to the United Nations, the most in at least five years. The resurgence of Al Qaeda’s Iraq affiliate is underscored by the insurgents’ capture of Falluja, and the group has made gains in other areas of the country.

On Sunday, Antony Blinken, President Obama’s deputy national security adviser, spoke with Falah al-Fayyad, Iraq’s national security adviser. The White House said in a statement that Mr. Blinken “expressed the United States’ support for ongoing operations by the Iraqi Security Forces in coordination with local and tribal movements in Anbar Province” against the militants.

Yasir Ghazi reported from Baghdad, and Tim Arango from Istanbul. Michael R. Gordon contributed reporting from Jerusalem, and an employee of The New York Times from Anbar Province.