BAGHDAD: The Iraqi army intensified its shelling of Fallujah yesterday in preparation for a ground assault to regain control of the city, which has been under the control of militants for a month.
Sunni Muslim anti-government fighters, among them insurgents linked to al Qaeda, overran Fallujah in the western province of Anbar on January 1, against a backdrop of deteriorating security across Iraq.
Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, whose Shia-led government many in the Sunni minority accuse of discrimination, had held off an all-out offensive to give local tribesmen a chance to expel the militants themselves.
“Orders have been issued to start shelling the city with artillery and planes to detect the potential abilities of militants inside Fallujah and try to find a gap to get into the city,” a top security official told Reuters on Sunday.
“Troops and tribal fighters are stationed in their positions just 15 minutes outside Fallujah.”
The official said militants had planted roadside bombs along the main roads into the city, and the army would use different routes to enter.
Earlier on Sunday, security officials said Maliki had received phone calls from the ambassadors of several countries in the region urging him not to storm the city, but preparations were going ahead nonetheless.
Reuters
