BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces attacked a militant stronghold in crisis-hit Anbar province yesterday, while authorities found 14 bullet-riddled bodies in scenes harkening back to the worst of Iraq’s sectarian war.
With parliamentary elections looming in April, Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has ruled out dialogue with fighters who control parts of Anbar provincial capital Ramadi and all of Fallujah, which lies on Baghdad’s doorstep.
Early yesterday, around 3,000 security personnel, comprised of units from the elite Golden Brigade linked to Maliki’s office, and the interior ministry’s Rapid Intervention Force, attacked an alleged militant camp in Albubali, an area comprising villages and rural farmland between Ramadi and Fallujah.
They were backed by tanks and aircraft, according to a senior police officer and a policeman.
“The main target is to take control of this area (Albubali),” the officer said.
They also aimed to recover the bodies of eight members of the security forces — four of whom have been missing for several days and have since been confirmed dead, and four others who were killed when a booby-trapped house collapsed on them.
Clashes were also reported just west of Fallujah overnight, while mortar rounds in the city killed two people. It was unclear who took part in the clashes, or who was responsible for the shelling.
Fighting initially broke out in the Ramadi area on December 30, when security forces cleared a year-old Sunni Arab protest camp.
It spread to Fallujah, and militants moved in and seized the city and parts of Ramadi after security forces withdrew.
The dead bodies of 14 men who were kidnapped earlier yesterday by men wearing army uniforms, were found with gunshot wounds in the head and chest, in an orchard north of Baghdad, two security officials said.
AFP
